(ICIS) -- Shell is developing plans for a worldscale ethylene plant with integrated derivative units in the Appalachian region of the US, to take advantage of the area's Marcellus shale gas reserves, the Anglo-Dutch oil major said on Monday. A location for the plant has not yet been decided, the company said.
⌠Building an ethane-fed cracker in Appalachia would unlock significant gas production in the Marcellus region by providing a local outlet for the ethane, Shell Executive Vice President Chemicals, Ben van Beurden, said.
Shell said it is evaluating derivative choices, with polyethylene (PE) as the leading option but it did not identify a partner for development. Most of the PE production would be used by northeastern US industries, it said.
⌠Demand for PE in North America is expected to grow, so the economic and efficiency benefits of a regional cracker make this configuration attractive, the company added in a statement.