Chevron launches Texas Gulf Coast petrochemicals project

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP has broken ground on its US Gulf Coast petrochemicals project at the company’s existing Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Tex.

A groundbreaking ceremony held on Apr. 2 marked the start of construction for the project, which was sparked by increased shale resource development, the company said.

First announced in March 2011 (OGJ Online, Mar. 29, 2011), the Texas Gulf coast project will include a 1.5-million tonne/year ethane cracker to be built at the Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, and two 500,000-tpy polyethylene plants to be constructed in Old Ocean, Tex. (OGJ Online, Nov. 20, 2013; May 2, 2012).

The engineering, procurement, and construction phase of the ethane cracker project will be executed through a joint venture of JGC (USA) Inc. and Fluor Enterprises Inc., while Gulf Coast Partners—a partnership of Technip USA Inc. and Zachry Industrial Inc.—will execute EPC for the two polyethylene plants, Chevron Phillips Chemical said.

Chevron Phillips Chemical will host a groundbreaking for the polyethylene units on June 17.

The estimated completion date for the project is in 2017, according to the company.