24 September 2014
Details
Ethylene and related products produced
by LyondellBasell are
used to manufacture numerous materials
that are essential to consumer durable products,
flexible packaging, and automotive applications.
LyondellBasell is currently
the fifth largest producer of ethylene globally.
LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB)
announced today that it is evaluating
a further expansion project at its petrochemical plant
in Channelview, Texas, that would potentially add up to
550 million pounds-per-year of ethylene capacity.
Preliminary engineering work is already underway to
assess expansion feasibility.
If the project proceeds, the anticipated time frame
for completion would be 2017.
The proposed expansion project would be
in addition to work already underway
to install two large cracking furnaces
at the Channelview site
that are slated to increase production
by 250 million pounds-per- year when
construction work is expected to be
completed early next year.
In addition to expansion at Channelview,
LyondellBasell is increasing
ethylene capacity at two other Texas plants.
* An 800 million pounds-per-year expansion
has just been completed in La Porte.
* And an additional 800 million pounds of capacity
are being added at the Company's site
in Corpus Christi, which is scheduled for
completion in late 2015.
When all three are completed,
a total of 1.85 billion pounds of ethylene capacity
are expected each year.
This figure will increase to 2.4 billion
if the additional expansion project is finalized.
Tim Roberts,
Executive Vice President, Olefins & Polyolefins, Americas
"Our strategy continues to be
the cost-effective expansion of existing facilities to
take swift advantage of abundant supplies of
low cost natural gas and ethane from shale production,"
"The additional ethylene capacity we are already adding
at our three Texas plants through existing expansion projects
is the equivalent of
constructing a new stand-alone cracking unit."
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