BP Evaluates PTA Unit Debottlenecks in Mid-Atlantic and Southeast U.S.

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). BP PLC (NYSE:BP) (London, England) is evaluating options for debottlenecking purified terephthalic acid (PTA) production units at two of its plants located in the United States. If approved, an estimated $70 million could be spent at each the Decatur, Alabama and Wando, South Carolina plant locations over the next couple of years.

At the Decatur site, BP operates three PTA units and tentatively plans to perform most of the debottleneck work on the #3 PTA unit, while at the Wando site, BP expects to perform major debottlenecks on potentially both of the PTA units located at the site and increasing capacity up to 200,000 metric tons per year.

BP has selected S&B Engineers and Constructors, Limited (Houston, Texas) to perform studies and preliminary engineering for these debottlenecks. A decision could be reached later this year on whether S&B will be awarded to complete the detailed engineering and construction management for these projects. BP anticipates construction commencing in 2007 and having the additional capacity online sometime during 2008.

Each of the plant sites have been in operation for at least fifteen years, with PTA being the primary product produced at the Wando location. The debottleneck at Wando has been in the planning stage for over five years, but recently seems more likely to move forward.

View Plant Profile – 1006448 1011877
View Project Report – 04003101 16000841

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