Nova Chemicals starts processing ethane from Bakken at Joffre plant

16-Jun-14

Nova Chemicals Corp. is now processing the first barrels of ethane supplied from natural gas associated with Bakken shale oil production at its ethylene and polyethylene complex in Joffre, near Read Deer, Alta, as per OGJOnline. The ethane was produced at Hess Corp.’s Tioga plant in North Dakota and transported across the border into Alberta via the Vantage pipeline, which connects to the Alberta Ethane Gathering System (AEGS) in Empress, Alta., for the final journey to Joffre, the company said. With an initial design capacity of 40,000 bpd, the Vantage pipeline is expandable to more than 60,000 bpd, a volume that reflects more than 20% of Alberta’s existing installed ethylene production capacity, according to Nova Chemicals, who serves as contract operator of the pipeline and AEGS. The company said its expects ethane extracted from associated gas produced from Bakken shale to be a growing and stable feedstock supply source for the Alberta petrochemical industry. “The introduction of Bakken shale-based ethane into the feedstock diet at Joffre marks an important milestone in the diversification of our ethane sources for the region and our Nova 2020 strategy to capitalize on North American demand,” said Todd Karran, acting chief executive and chief financial officer for Nova Chemicals.