INEOS Nitriles to Expand Acrylonitrile Production in Texas

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). INEOS Nitriles (Port Lavaca, Texas), a subsidiary of INEOS Group (South Hampton, United Kingdom), expects to begin construction of an estimated $50 million expansion of its Green Lake acrylonitrile complex in Port Lavaca, Texas. The plant, which was acquired from BP in December of 2005, sits on 2,400 acres of land in southern Calhoun County. This expansion, which is the first in nearly a decade, will increase the site’s capacity by approximately 15% and make the Green Lake site the largest acrylonitrile producer in the world.

Construction is expected to begin in September of 2007, with completion and start-up in the third quarter of 2008. Upon completion, the site is expected to have a total capacity of 1.2 billion pounds. The project will include the addition of a fourth reactor train along with supporting process equipment. The 30 x 100-foot reactor converts air, propylene and ammonia into acrylonitrile. The liquid acrylonitrile is transported via pipeline to Port Lavaca-Point Comfort where the majority of the acrylonitrile will be shipped by chemical tankers to Asia and Europe.

INEOS Group is expanding at other sites in North America as well. INEOS Phenol has plans for a major Phenol capacity increase at its Theodore, Alabama site. This $60 million investment will increase phenol production from 500,000 metric tons a year to 850,000 metric tons a year with construction expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2007. North of the border, INEOS Canada will increase the capacity of linear alpha olefins (LAO) at its Red Deer, Alberta plant. The project is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2007, with completion late in 2007.

Industrial Info is currently tracking approximately $781 million in project spending for 21 capital and maintenance projects at INEOS Group manufacturing sites worldwide with construction expected to start over the next few years.

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