31 May - Chevron Phillips Chemical breaks ground on world-scale 1-hexene unit in Old Ocean, Texas
Source: MRCplast
Chevron Phillips Chemical broke ground on a new world-scale unit for on-purpose 1-hexene in Old Ocean, Texas, near its Sweeny facility, said the company.
With a capacity of 266 KTA, the new asset grows the company’s total U.S. 1-hexene capacity to 650 KTA at a time of rising customer demand. 1-hexene is central to manufacturing high-performance plastic products.
The project will harness Chevron Phillips Chemical’s proprietary, on-purpose 1-hexene technology, which produces exceptional purity comonomer grade 1-hexene from ethylene. Construction is expected to commence during the third quarter of 2021, with project startup in 2023, and is expected to involve 600 construction jobs at its peak. Once operational, the project will support more than 50 full-time positions.
"The new unit will provide additional flexibility and production to meet anticipated demand from our growing customer base, while establishing a strong foundation for future growth,” said Mitch Eichelberger, executive vice president of polymers and specialities. “This new asset will also serve as a catalyst to advance the local economy as a source of job creation. We are very proud to be part of this community and look forward to bringing this project to life."
The new 1-hexene unit in Old Ocean will enjoy significant advantages in infrastructure, feedstock availability and operational expertise. It will also benefit from the latest technology advances to achieve energy and emissions efficiency improvements. Once operational, it will further the company’s position as a leading 1-hexene supplier. Chevron Phillips Chemical already operates the world’s largest on-purpose 1-hexene unit and two full-range alpha-olefin units at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas.
Earlier it was reported that the American Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem), one of the world's largest petrochemical companies, on April 26 stopped production at cracking unit No. 1592 in Cedar Bayou (Texas, USA) in order to carry out scheduled maintenance work. It is expected that repair activities at this enterprise with a capacity of 850 thousand tons of ethylene per year will continue until May 3 of this year. Chemical emissions to the atmosphere are expected within about seven days.