Baystar Joint Venture Starts Up Port Arthur Ethane Cracker

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A 50:50 joint venture between TotalEnergies SE (NYSE:TTE) (Courbevoie, France) and Borealis said Thursday it has started up its new ethane cracker in Port Arthur, Texas. The $1.8 billion facility has an annual ethylene production capacity of 1 million tons per year.

The project is a result of the 50:50 Bayport-Polymers (Baystar) joint venture between TotalEnergies and Novealis Holdings LLC, which itself is a joint venture between NOVA Chemicals (Calgary, Alberta) and Borealis AG (Vienna, Austria). TotalEnergies' refinery in Port Arthur is operating the facility.

For related information, see July 19, 2022, article - TotalEnergies Sees Bonanza in Refining Margins, Adds Output in Europe.

The joint venture said the ethylene will be used as feedstock for its existing 400,000-ton-per-year polyethylene (PE) site in Bayport (Pasadena), Texas, as well as a 625,000-metric-ton-per-year PE unit under construction in Pasadena.

"This is an important milestone for Baystar as we become a fully integrated polyethylene company. Our focus is on growing the polymers market in North America and leveraging the power of partnership with TotalEnergies and Borealis," said Baystar President Diane Chamberlain in a press release.

Industrial Info has tracked the ethane cracker project since April 2015. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing Project Database can click here for the project report and click here for the plant profile.

The under-construction PE facility in Pasadena will use Borealis' Borstar technology. The project is planned for completion in September. Subscribers can click here for the project report and click here for the plant profile.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).