DowDuPont HDPE debottleneck on track for mid-2018, EPDM unit end of 2018

NEW YORK (ICIS)–US-based DowDuPont is on track to complete its polyethylene (PE) debottleneck and new elastomers project during 2018, its chief financial offer said on Thursday.

“Looking ahead, our next two projects on the US Gulf Coast are progressing well. The gas phase debottleneck in Louisiana remains on track to be completed mid-year, and our new world-scale specialty elastomers unit in Texas is expected to start up towards year end,” said Howard Ungerleider, chief financial officer of DowDuPont.

The debottleneck in St Charles, Louisiana will add 125,000 tonnes/year of bi-modal gas phase high density PE (HDPE).

The new elastomers unit in Freeport, Texas will have capacity of 320,000 tonnes/year.

Ungerleider also noted that DowDuPont’s new 1.5m tonne/year cracker and 400,000 tonne/year ELITE PE unit in Freeport “which came online late last year both ran at high rates through the first quarter and contributed to the bottom line”.

DowDuPont’s 200,000 tonne/year Nordel ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) unit and 350,000 tonne/year low density PE (LDPE) plant – both in Plaquemine – came online in the first quarter “and product from both assets has already been flowing into the market”, said Ungerleider.

“The new [LDPE] facility has ramped up to full operating rates and the Nordel asset is expected to complete the full range of customer qualifications in the second quarter,” he added.

Ungerleider is also president-elect and chief financial officer of Dow Chemical, the Materials Science division to be spun off from DowDuPont.