LyondellBasell plans 800m lb/year ethylene expansion at Texas plant

NEW YORK (ICIS)–LyondellBasell plans to add an additional 800m lb/year (363,000 tonnes/year) of ethylene capacity at its cracker at Corpus Christi, Texas, by late 2015, a senior executive said on Wednesday.

“This investment of around $420m (€323m) could add $250m-300m in annual potential growth value,” said Tim Roberts, senior vice president of olefins and polyolefins – Americas.

He spoke at the company’s annual investor day.

It was the first time LyondellBasell announced planned additional capacity for its Corpus Christi expansion.

Currently, LyondellBasell has an ethylene capacity of 771,000 tonnes/year at Corpus Christi, according to ICIS plants and projects.

Other previously announced projects include an 800m/lb/year ethylene expansion at La Porte, Texas, by mid-2014, and a 250m lb/year ethylene expansion at Channelview, Texas, by 2015.

LyondellBasell’s planned expansion projects through 2016 in North America, including a potential new polyethylene (PE) plant and a PE plant debottleneck, are expected to add around $600m of annual value, Roberts said.

($1 = €0.77)