08.04.2014 • NewsChevron PhillipsDede WillamsDow Chemical

Chevron Phillips Breaks Ground for $1.5 Million Cracker

Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) has held groundbreaking ceremonies for the new 1.5 m t/y ethane cracker to be built at its Cedar Bayou site near Baytown, Texas. The cracker will form the nucleus of the petrochemicals producer's $6 billion U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project scheduled to go on stream in 2017.

As part of the project, the company also will build two 500,000 t/y polyethylene plants - including a bimodal HDPE unit and a metallocene LLDPE unit - at its Sweeny site at Old Ocean, Texas. To feed the PE plants but also for retail purpose, ethylene output is being upgraded by 90,000 t/y.

At Cedar Bayou, CPChem is also building a plant for 1-hexene, which it claims will be the world's largest. Details are expected to be presented soon for an expansion of normal alpha olefins capacity at the same site.

The Cedar Bayou facility is the first of several crackers in planning, designed to take advantage of cheap shale-derived ethane feedstock. Other projects include a 1.5m t/y ethane cracker at Baytown planned by ExxonMobil and envisaged to start up in 2016. Dow Chemical plans to erect a 1.5 million ethane cracker at Freeport, Texas, by 2017.

A joint venture of Jacobs Engineering Group and Fluor has the EPC contract for the two PE facilities at Old Ocean.

Innovation Pitch

The Start-up Platform for Chemistry & Life Sciences
Discover Tomorrow’s Innovators

The Start-up Platform for Chemistry & Life Sciences

CHEManager Innovation Pitch supports innovation in the chemistry and life sciences start-up scene. The platform allows founders, young entrepreneurs, and start-ups to present their companies to the industry.

Whitepaper

Excellence in Pharmaceutical Distribution and The Critical Role of Good Distribution Practice (GDP)
Setting the Standard

Excellence in Pharmaceutical Distribution and The Critical Role of Good Distribution Practice (GDP)

Are you ready to elevate your pharmaceutical operations? Download our exclusive whitepaper and discover how compliance with Good Distribution Practice (GDP) is essential for the safety and integrity of pharmaceuticals.

most read