US Westlake to expand ethylene capacity by 250m lb/year

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Westlake Chemical plans to add 250m lb/year (113,000 tonnes/year) of ethylene capacity at its site in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the US-based plastics producer said on Thursday.

The project will cost more than $330m, and it should be completed by early 2016, Westlake said.

This latest project follows an earlier expansion at Lake Charles. In 2011, Westlake announced a 109,000 tonne/year expansion at the site.

Recently, Westlake completed an expansion at its cracker in Calvert City, Kentucky.

It added 180m lb/year at the plant, bringing its capacity to almost 286,000 tonnes/year.

Westlake is among several companies that are expanding ethylene capacity in the US, taking advantage of low-cost ethane made possible by the advent of shale gas.

Westlake has relied on expanding existing crackers. Others are building new plants, with Chevron Phillips Chemical, ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical,  Mexichem/OxyChem joint venture and Formosa Plastics already breaking ground.

The following lists the new crackers being developed.