Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem) has received approval from its board of directors and obtained an environmental permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to expand normal alpha olefins (NAO) production capacity at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas by 100,000 t/y.

Completion is expected by July, 2015. Houston, Texas-based S&B Engineers and Constructors has the engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project that will use CP Chem's proprietary NAO technology.

"This investment decision reflects Chevron Phillips Chemical's strategy to leverage North American shale gas development by continuing to grow our US-based olefins and polyolefins footprint," said Mark Lashier, executive vice president of olefins and polyolefins for CPChem.