Dow restarts long-idled Louisiana olefins cracker
By ANNA PRIOR
Dow Chemical said this week that it has restarted its St. Charles Olefins 2 plant, a move that the chemical giant expects will help lower costs and strengthen its competitiveness.
According to Dow, the St. Charles plant located near Hanville, La., began producing on-spec ethylene on Dec. 25, meeting previously announced goals to restart the site by the end of 2012.
"This action further reduces the company's purchased ethylene, lowering costs and strengthening the competitiveness of our high-margin, high-growth derivatives businesses," said Brian Ames, president of Dow Olefins, Aromatics and Alternatives.
The company said the move is part of its investment plan to further connect its US operations with cost-advantaged feedstocks from increasing supplies of US shale gas.
The restarted St. Charles cracker, which was idled in January 2009, reportedly has a capacity of 380,000 tpy.
Dow Jones Newswires
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