Shell Adds to Geismar, Louisiana, Chemicals Sector with New Petrochemicals Unit

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE:RDS-A) (Shell) (The Hague, Netherlands) announced that it has completed construction and has started production of an alpha olefins unit in Geismar, Louisiana. The project is one of several Chemical Processing projects in the Geismar area, where Industrial Info is tracking $3.5 billion in active projects.

The 425,000-metric-ton-per-year alpha olefins unit is the fourth higher olefins on the site and brings Shell's alpha olefins production capacity in Geismar to 1.3 million metric tons per year. Construction began in early 2016, with Jacobs Engineering Group Incorporated (NYSE:JEC) (Dallas, Texas) providing engineering, production and construction. The unit will convert ethylene into linear, even-numbered alpha olefins. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Among the other active Chemical Processing projects being tracked by Industrial Info in Geismar is BASF SE's (Ludwigshafen, Germany) planned methylene diphenyl diiscyanate (MDI) capacity expansion. The project will increase BASF's MDI production capacity from 300,000 tons per year to 600,000 tons. Construction is expected to kick off later this year, taking about two years to complete. Hargrove Engineers and Constructors (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is the engineer. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

BASF also is expanding the production of its polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) unit in Geismar. Construction began last summer and is expected to be completed this quarter. Hargrove is the engineer on this project as well. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

NOVA Chemicals Corporation (Calgary, Alberta) is underway with market analysis for the construction of an ethylene derivative unit addition at its olefins plant in Geismar. The unit would be constructed near NOVA's existing ethylene production unit, for which the company is planning a maintenance turnaround in early 2022. For more information see Industrial Info's project reports on the ethylene derivative unit and maintenance turnaround.

Air Products and Chemicals Incorporated (NYSE:APD) (Detroit, Michigan) is gearing up to begin construction on a grassroot hydrogen plant at its site in Geismar this year. The plant would produce approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day of hydrogen and approximately 370 tons per day of carbon monoxide. Construction is expected to kick off in the first half of this year and be completed in early 2020. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Geismar is a hub of Chemical Processing activity, and in addition to many capital projects, Industrial Info also is tracking several planned maintenance opportunities in the area. Among these is Huntsman Corporation's (NYSE:HUN) (The Woodlands, Texas) major maintenance turnaround to its MDI Unit 3, which is underway. A turnaround for Huntsman's MDI Unit 2 is planned for early next year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Unit 2 and Unit 3.

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