Bayport Polymers LLC celebrates groundbreaking ceremony for new ethane cracker in Port Arthur, Texas
PORT ARTHUR, Texas, /PRNewswire/ -- Bayport Polymers LLC ("Bay-Pol"), a joint venture of Total S.A. ("Total") and Novealis Holdings LLC – a joint venture of Borealis AG ("Borealis") and NOVA Chemicals Inc. ("NOVA Chemicals") – held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new ethane cracker at the Total Port Arthur Refinery.
The new $1.7-billion ethane cracker is the first project under construction by the recently-formed Bay-Pol joint venture.
The new 1 Mt/y ethane cracker is being built alongside Total's Port Arthur Refinery and the existing Total/BASF steam cracker and is expected to start up in 2020. About 1,500 jobs will be created during the peak engineering and construction activity, and, once fully operational, the cracker will require about 60 full-time jobs.
"This is an important milestone for our new company," said Diane Chamberlain, Bay-Pol President. "The power of partnership demonstrated here today firmly positions Bay-Pol to deliver innovative products and applications to new and existing
The groundbreaking ceremony saw senior executives of the joint venture in attendance, including Bernard Pinatel, President, Refining & Chemicals, Total, Mark Garrett, CEO, Borealis, Todd Karran, CEO, NOVA Chemicals, alongside Diane Chamberlain and the Bay-Pol leadership team.
Speaking at the event, the three partners commented:
"We are excited to see the construction of our first project in the joint venture with Borealis and NOVA. This project is in perfect alignment with Total's strategy to expand in petrochemicals by leveraging our integrated platforms like Port Arthur and taking advantage of the abundance of ethane in the U.S. With our partners, we are ready to provide for the growing demand for superior products to the marketplace," said Bernard Pinatel, President, Refining & Chemicals, Total.
"We are excited to see this project come to fruition and officially break ground. The new ethane steam cracker is a key growth initiative for Borealis. Our partnership with Total and NOVA Chemicals will position us as a leader in the U.S. and allow us to deploy sophisticated technology with our partners," said Borealis Chief Executive Mark Garrett.
"The ethane steam cracker is the first phase of our joint venture with Total and Borealis, which will help us gain additional access to the U.S. Gulf Coast. This project will allow us to better serve our customers throughout the Americas by delivering a broader slate of products that help make everyday life healthier, easier and safer," said Todd Karran, CEO, NOVA Chemicals.
Comments