HOUSTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - TPC Group's Houston

petrochemical plant was shut by a power outage on Monday as a

line of thunderstorms moved over the area, according to notices

posted by the company.

A large plume of black smoke was produced by the plant as

the safety flare system was used to burn off hydrocarbons that

could not be processed normally because of the outage, according

to local media reports.

A company spokesperson was not immediately available on

Monday.

TPC filed for prepackaged bankruptcy citing the financial

impact of explosions at its Port Neches, Texas, plant in

November 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, a 2021 winter storm and

spikes in commodities prices.

The Houston plant has about 300 employees at 256-acre site

near the Houston Ship Channel and produces butadiene, which is a

precursor to synthetic rubber, along with other products.