Petrochemical

The North American petrochemical complex is enjoying a stunning renaissance from flexible natural gas supply and low commodity prices, but uncertainty is looming from a surfeit of manufacturing capacity, strengthening overseas competition and a Trump presidency that has promised to revamp trade, executives said Thursday.

Royal Dutch Shell plc’s decision Tuesday to pull the trigger on a massive ethane cracker northwest of Pittsburgh is part of a revamp for the oil major, which for now will focus on “cash engines,” fueled by petrochemicals and the deepwater, CEO Ben van Beurden said.

Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp. and a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC) are evaluating the possibility of partnering on a world-scale combined propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and polypropylene upgrading facility in Alberta.

Calgary-based Pembina Pipeline Corp. and a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC) are evaluating the possibility of partnering on a world-scale combined propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and polypropylene upgrading facility in Alberta.

Canada’s chief fossil fuel producer province has moved closer to fulfilling ambitions of winning a role in the forecast North American petrochemical renaissance, thanks to an Oklahoma specialty firm in gas processing and transportation.

Dow Chemical Co.’s Oyster Creek petrochemical complex south of Houston is adding a “world-scale” monoethylene glycol (MEG) manufacturing facility that is scheduled to be in operation by the middle of 2019, project developers said Tuesday.

The Alberta government recently posted a C$500 million (US$350 million) reward for natural gas producers to co-operate with additions to petrochemical complexes in the province.

Work to clear part of a site in Belmont County, OH, for PTT Global Chemical pcl’s (PTTGC) proposed ethane cracker has already started and is expected to be complete by the fall.

Breaking into the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade would spin off a renaissance in petrochemical manufacturing, according to the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI).