Total in JV to build ethane steam cracker on US Gulf Coast

03 Apr '17

1 min read

In a joint venture with Borealis and Nova, France headquartered Total is building an ethane steam cracker and possibly a new Borstar polyethylene unit on the US Gulf Coast, in which Total will hold a 50 per cent interest. The joint venture is expected to be established in late 2017 and the decision on the Borstar polyethylene plant will be taken then.

The cracker will be built alongside Total’s Port Arthur refinery and the Total/BASF existing steam cracker and which is expected to be one of the most competitive cracker projects in the US.

According to Total, the $1.7 billion new cracker is scheduled to start up in 2020 and will create around 1,500 jobs during peak engineering and construction activity. The engineering, procurement and construction contract (EPC) of the ethane steam cracker has been awarded to CB&I.

"The abundance of available gas in the US as a result of the shale revolution provides two competitive advantages for petrochemicals, access to low-cost energy to run the facilities and competitively priced ethane feedstock," the French company observed. (AR)

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