Chevron Phillips achieves mechanical completion of 2 polyethylene units in Texas

20-Jun-17

Two polyethylene (PE) units of Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP (CPChem), a key part of a US$6 bln petrochemical expansion on the Texas Gulf Coast, have achieved mechanical completion. The PE units sited near Old Ocean in Brazoria County are undergoing a series of rigorous commissioning activities, system checks and final certifications before start-up. Once operational, each unit would be capable of producing at least 500,000 m tpa.

"These new units allow us to utilize the abundant natural gas liquid feedstocks provided by the development of shale resources in the United States to meet the growing demand for polyethylene from our global customers producing performance films, high-pressure pipe and packaging," said CPChem CEO Peter Cella.

Ethylene feedstock for the PE units would be supplied via the company's ethylene pipeline and storage system that also was expanded as part of the CPChem's U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project. Along with the PE units, the company purchased nearly 3,000 rail cars and constructed a state-of-the-art rail facility with capacity to store 1,500 rail cars able to ship PE pellets to global customers. The final element of the CPChem's project entails constructing an ethane cracker in Baytown, which should be completed by the end of the year. CPChem is a 50-50 partnership between Chevron Corp.'s Chevron U.S.A. Inc. and subsidiaries of Phillips 66. The world-scale ethane cracker and ethylene derivatives facilities initially were announced in late 2011, with the project given a green light in 2013.