Shell starts main construction on petrochemicals complex
Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC has started the main construction phase of its major petrochemicals complex in Potter Township, Pennsylvania. This follows the successful completion of the site preparation and detailed design and engineering work. Commercial production is expected to begin early next decade.
The early works program has been a significant project. Work included building bridges, relocating a state highway, improving existing interchanges, repositioning a rail line and preparing foundations for the new complex. The site is now ready for main construction to start.
Shell will now progress to the construction of four processing units: an ethane cracker and three polyethylene units. The ethane cracker will be the largest part of the facility, with more than 200 major components and 95 miles of pipe.
Shell will also construct a 900-footlong cooling tower, rail and truck loading facilities, a water treatment plant, an office building and a laboratory.
The site will include a 250-megawatt natural gas-fired power plant, which will produce electricity and steam for the facility.
For more information, visit www.shell.us or call (855) 697-4355.
Davis Refinery receives Draft Permit to Construct
The North Dakota Department of Health (NDDoH) -- Air Quality Division has issued for public comment its Draft Permit to Construct for Meridian Energy Group Inc.'s Davis Refinery. This Draft Permit is the last step toward an award of a Permit to Construct (PTC) by the NDDoH and is based on a thorough review of the Davis Refinery application documents, engineering designs and related equipment specifications by the NDDoH.
Meridian CEO William Prentice said, "We are extremely proud to have achieved this milestone in the permitting process. Publication of this Draft Permit acknowledges the tireless work performed by the entire team. We continued to push the limits of technical innovation throughout this process and never stopped seeking opportunities to make the Davis Refinery as clean as it could possibly be.
"We look forward to the next step in the process as administered by NDDoH, since it will allow the community and interested parties to learn how Meridian's design efforts, which included modifications made as a result of the rigorous review by the Department of Health, have ensured that the Davis Refinery will operate in full compliance with the law and in a manner that is responsive to the concerns of the local community. The Davis Refinery will indeed be the cleanest refinery on the planet when completed."
For more information, visit www. meridianenergygroupinc.com or call (877) 542-5213.
NOVA Chemicals proceeds with growth plans in Canada
NOVA Chemicals Corp.'s two significant growth projects for its Ontario operations involve a capital investment expected to exceed $2 billion (Canadian) .
This marks the addition of two new large-scale capital investments in the Sarnia-Lambton region. The expansion of NOVA Chemicals' Corunna cracker by approximately 50 percent will provide ethylene feedstock to a new polyethylene facility, NOVA Chemicals' second Advanced SCLAIRTECH⢠technology facility (AST2). The AST2 facility is designed to increase NOVA Chemicals' polyethylene production capacity by approximately 950 million pounds per year. Site preparations are currently underway for both projects, with start-up targeted for late 2021.
For more information, visit www.novachemicals.com or call (403) 750-3600.
Dow to expand propionic acid facility in Texas
Dow Industrial Solutions, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, plans to expand its propionic acid facility in Texas City, Texas, to meet rising global demand. The expansion follows debottlenecking projects completed at the Texas City facility in 2015 and 2017.
Expansion of the facility is expected to be complete in 2019.
For more information, visit www.dow.com or call (989) 636-1000.