Dow Chemical Co. has completed construction of the previously announced 1.5 million-tonne/year ethylene production expansion and upgrade project at its petrochemicals manufacturing complex in Freeport, Tex. (OGJ Online, June 26, 2014; Oct. 29, 2012).
With construction activities wrapped, the new unit is now progressing through the commissioning phase for planned startup by midyear, Dow said.
A foundational element of Dow’s $6-billion US Gulf Coast investment program to utilize low-cost and advantaged US shale gas feedstock, the TX-9 cracker raises total olefins capacity at the Freeport site to more than 4 million tpy, the company said.
Once fully commissioned, the new unit will feed a series of Dow’s other investments in Texas and Louisiana to increase specialty derivatives capacity, all of which are slated for startup between 2017-18.
Last year, Dow also fully commissioned a 750,000-tpy propane dehydrogenation unit at Freeport as part of the Gulf Coast ethylene and derivatives investment program (OGJ Online, Mar. 9, 2016).
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
