The Tale of Shell and Sasol: The Ups and Downs of the U.S. Ethylene Wave

SUGAR LAND--June 9, 2016--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A couple of news items this week demonstrate the promises and potential pitfalls of U.S. ethylene projects seeking to take advantage of low-cost ethane feedstock. Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC, part of Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE:RDS-A) (The Hague, Netherlands) announced it had the green light to proceed with a grassroot ethylene/polyethylene complex near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sasol Limited (NYSE:SSL) (Johannesburg, South Africa) announced the price tag of its own ethane-driven complex in Louisiana could run as high as $11 billion, some $2 billion more than previous estimates. Within this article: Describes projects associated with ethane cracker projects in Pennsylvania and Louisiana.