MOSCOW (MRC) -- Technip was awarded engineering and procurement contracts by Westlake Chemical Corporation for the expansion and modernization of the ethylene cracking furnaces and the recovery section of Westlake’s ethylene plant in Calvert City, Kentucky, according to the company's press release.
The ethylene production capacity will be increased by 40 percent - from 450 million pounds per year to 630 million pounds per year - and will use ethane feedstock instead of propane as per the original design.
This expansion and feedstock conversion will add approximately 200 million pounds per year of PVC capacity to the existing 1,100 million pounds of annual capacity, enhance Westlake's vinyl chain integration and leverage low cost ethane being developed in the Marcellus shale area, as MRC reported ealier.
Technip is a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry
Westlake Chemical Corporation is a U.S. manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals and polymers, headquartered in Houston, Texas. The range of company's products includes ethylene, polyethylene (PE), styrene, propylene (PP), caustics, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and plastic products. Westlake is one of the major ethylene producers in the U.S. and its Calvert City operation is a large integrated PVC site. The previously-announced expansion of the Petro 2 ethylene unit of Westlake Chemical at its Lake Charles complex in Louisiana started in mid-January. This expansion will be completed in conjunction with a planned maintenance turnaround and will increase ethane-based ethylene capacity by approximately 230-240 million lbs/year in support of the company's ethylene integration strategy
MRC