Project Profile
Value: US$6 billion - US$11 billion
Location: Beaver County,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Capacity ethylene: 1.5 million tonnes per year (t/y) ethylene
Capacity high density polyethylene (HDPE)- 500,000 t/y of gas-phased HDPE
Capacity slurry HDPE: 500,000 t/y
Capacity low density polyethylene (LLDPE): 500,000 t/y polyethylene (LLDPE)
Start-up Year: -
Royal Dutch Shell (Shell) has confirmed its Pennsylvania Petrochemical Complex project and the related Monaca Ethane Cracker. This decision is following all the preparatory work engaged by Shell regarding the site location of the project in Pennsylvania and to secure the necessary quantity of ethane to be used as feedstock for the petrochemical complex. In March 2012, Shell and Horsehead Corp. (Horsehead) had signed a land option to convert the existing Potter 300 acre zinc smelter into an ethane cracker and petrochemical complex. Since then this land option has been extended already twice to allow Shell to complete site environmental assessment and project feasibility study.
In parallel Shell closed deal for the ethane supply with Consol Energy Inc. (Consol), Noble Energy Inc. (Noble), Seneca Resources Corp., (Seneca), and Hilcopr Energy Co. (Hilcorp). Some other ethane supply agreements should follow since Shell is planning to feed its Appalachia ethane cracker 50% with contracted supply and 50% with its own shale gas production from its won acreage in the Marcellus basin. In acquiring Pennsylvania East Resources, Shell inherited of 900,000 acre of shale gas field across the Tioga County, Lawrence County and Butler County. Not only these Marcellus Basin acreages hold high quality shale gas, but also untapped tight gas and condensate. These condensate represent valuable feedstock for a petrochemical complex. Downstream the ethane cracker, Shell was originally planning to produce:
- Polyethylene (PE)
- Monoethylene Glycol (MEG)
- Polyolefins
Since Shell selected Linde license for the ethylene production, the front end engineering and design (FEED) contract is announced to be awarded to Linde-Bechtel tandem. In the meantime, the scope of work for the Pennsylvania Petrochemical Complex has changed slightly in concentrating production on three units of polyethylene with a process offering a wide range of PE grades. As a result, Shell ethane cracker should feed the Pennsylvania Petrochemical Complex to produce:
- 1.5 million tonnes per year (t/y) ethylene
- 500,000 t/y of gas-phased high density polyethylene (HDPE)
- 500,000 t/y of slurry HDPE
- 500,000 t/y of linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE)
Operators:
Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC (Shell): Operator with 100% interest
Contractors:
Consortium for EPC contract:
Linde Group & Bechtel - to perform the front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for the ethane cracker. (November, 2013)