In Bustling La Porte, Texas, LyondellBasell Breaks Ground on Polyethylene Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--LyondellBassell Industries N.V. (NYSE:LYB) announced this week that it has broken ground on a polyethylene (PE) unit addition at the company's complex in La Porte, Texas.

The polyethylene facility will have a production capacity of 1.1 billion pounds per year and will use the company's Hyperzone proprietary polyethylene technology, which provides enhanced material performance. According to a company press release, "The new Hyperzone PE technology also enables the production of a broad spectrum of HDPE [high density polyethylene] products in one single plant, whereas previous technologies require multiple plants." Bechtel Group Incorporated (San Francisco, California) is performing engineering and procurement for the project. The plant is slated for completion in late 2019. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the inside battery limits (ISBL) and outside battery limits (OSBL) portions of the project, as well as the control room addition.

Accompanying the facility will be a new railyard storage addition, including storage for 300 to 400 railcars and new rail spurs to support the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report. The complex also has two docks on the Houston Ship Channel to enable shipping across the globe.

A further expansion of the polyethylene plant remains a possibility after the initial facility is completed. The expansion could increase production capacity by another 1 billion pounds per year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

La Porte is a popular destination for petrochemical projects. Among the other projects being planned for the Gulf Coast city is Braskem America Incorporated's (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) planned polypropylene unit addition at the company's existing polypropylene plant. The unit would increase production capacity by 450,000 to 500,000 tons per year. The project could kick off in summer 2018 and be completed in the second quarter of 2020. Linde Engineering North America Incorporated (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania) is performing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services on the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Gemini HDPE LLC, a joint venture of INEOS (Rolle, Switzerland) and Sasol Limited (NYSE:SSL) (Johannesburg, South Africa), is wrapping up construction of a 1 billion-pound-per-year HDPE unit. The unit will be capable of producing a wide range of HDPE products, but will focus on bi-modal pipe and film resins. The project began in 2014 and is expected to be completed this summer. KBR Incorporated (NSYE:KBR) (Houston, Texas) is acting as EPC contractor on the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Other infrastructure is needed to support the area's petrochemical sector. Enterprise Products Partners LP (NYSE:EPD) (Houston, Texas) is in the early planning stages to construct an ethylene export terminal addition at its facility in La Porte. The project would add facilities to export ethylene and natural gas liquids to meet market demand. The project could kick off in early 2018, taking about a year to complete. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

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