Motiva Enterprises to build polyethylene units and a multi-unit aromatics complex

01-Oct-19

Saudi Aramco's Motiva Enterprises subsidiary is planning to build polyethylene units and a multi-unit aromatics complex that would make paraxylene, benzene and other products for sale and export, according to documents the company filed with the Texas Comptroller's Office. Motiva late last year filed documents detailing its plans to build a US$4.7 bln ethane-fed steam cracker and a US$1.9 bln aromatics complex on the site of its Port Arthur, Texas refinery. The second set of documents, filed in August and made public last week, provide more detail about specific units.

The company has not made a final investment decision on the overall project.

The filing regarding polyethylene said Motiva Enterprises was evaluating whether to build "multiple world-scale ethylene derivative units" that would make polyethylene, a resin used to manufacture the most-used plastics in the world. The filing said the estimated cost of the units would be $2.72 billion.

The aromatics complex would use reformate, a high-octane gasoline blendstock, and other supplemental feedstocks to produce paraxylene and benzene for petrochemical manufacturing as well as other intermediates to use as feedstocks for the refinery and gasoline blending. Those units were estimated to cost $1.7 billion, according to the documents.