Shell Starts Operations at Pennsylvania Polyethylene Complex

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC, a subsidiary of Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) (London, England), has started operations at its polyethylene complex in Monaca, Pennsylvania, the company said Tuesday.

Shell touted the $6 billion facility as the first major polyethylene complex in the Northeastern U.S., with a capacity of 1.6 million metric tons per year. The facility is expected to ramp up to full production by the second half of 2023.

Industrial Info has tracked the project since 2014. The complex includes an ethylene unit, two high-density polyethylene (HDPE) units, a linear-low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit and a 250-megawatt cogeneration power unit. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing project and plant databases can click here for a list of detailed project reports and click here for the related plant profile. For related information, see September 6, 2022, article -- Shell's Pennsylvania Ethylene Unit Gears Up for Startup.

The complex is located next to the Ohio River, within a 700-mile radius of 70% of the U.S. polyethylene market, Shell said in a press release. Its products will serve customers who manufacture commodity and specialty films, pipe, blow-molded containers and injection-molded parts.

The complex contracts most of its natural gas feedstock from the nearby Utica and Marcellus basins.

The start-up is part of the company's strategy to boost its participation in value chains closer to end-use customers. Shell also said it wants to use advantaged feedstocks to deliver more high-value products, while reducing exposure to commodity chemicals over time.

Shell started main construction of the complex in April 2017 after reaching a final investment decision in June 2016.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 100 Shell projects in the U.S., worth nearly $25 billion. Subscribers can learn more by clicking here.

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 more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).