Chevron to expand ethylene output at Sweeny complex

The Company recently received consent to begin construction from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  The new furnace will achieve lower emissions and incorporate Best Available Control Technology (BACT). Construction is targeted to commence within the next quarter, with an anticipated startup in 2014.

“This furnace addition will provide additional ethylene supply to meet the growing global demand to better serve our customers and provide additional supply prior to starting up our proposed U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project in 2017,” said Dave Smith, olefins & natural gas liquids vice president for Chevron Phillips Chemical.  Chevron Phillips Chemical’s U.S. Gulf Coast Petrochemicals Project continues to be on track to build an ethane cracker at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas and two polyethylene units in Old Ocean.

While the additional furnace will not add to the nameplate capacity of the facility, the increased operating factor should result in net increase of 200 million pounds of ethylene availability to provide additional operational flexibility and reliability.

The Sweeny complex is one of the world’s largest single-site ethylene facilities and is capable of producing greater than 11 million pounds of ethylene per day, or roughly 4.1 billion pounds annually. “This project and the proposed addition of the adjacent polyethylene units emphasize the importance of Sweeny in the company’s portfolio,” said Wayne McDowell, Sweeny complex manager. “We are thrilled to produce quality products safely and reliably on an even larger scale.”

Chevron Phillips