Nova/Williams join forces to extract ethane

23 July 2007 15:36  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--Nova Chemicals Corporation has joined forces with Williams to evaluate the extraction of ethane from current and future off-gas streams at Alberta oil sands, the company said on Monday

Under the letter of intent for the project, Williams will modify its existing oil sands off-gas liquids fractionation facility near Redwater, Alberta, to enable it to extract ethane and ethylene.

Nova said the facility would be owned by Williams while it would be the exclusive long-term customer for the project.

Chris Pappas, Nova Chemicals' chief operating officer, said: “We’re very pleased to be the first petrochemical company to find a potential path to the economic recovery of ethane from the Alberta oil sands, which contains the second largest proven reserves of oil in the world.”

The plant was expected to start operating in stages, the first of which should be running 2010.

Williams is currently processing an off-gas liquids stream at Redwater for the production of propylene.

By: Lucy Craymer
+44 20 8652 3214

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