Chevron Phillips Chemical has completed the expansion of ethylene capacity at its Sweeny complex in Old Ocean, Texas.

The capacity addition is part of the group's US Gulf Coast petrochemicals project, expected to be commissioned in 2017. This also includes an ethane cracker at the company's Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas and two polyethylene plants at Old Ocean.

With the addition of a tenth furnace to ethylene unit 33 at Sweeny - which boast one of the world's largest single-site ethylene production capabilities - the expansion begun in 2013 is expected to increase the Chevron oil group subsidiary's annual production by more than 90,000 t/y.

"This represents the next increment of expansion to our ethylene business. We're building toward the start-up of the US Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project in 2017 and supporting incremental growth of our olefins derivative businesses," said Dave Smith, olefins & natural gas liquids vice president for Chevron Phillips Chemical.