U.S. Chemical Producers Plot Third-Quarter Maintenance as Growth Blossoms

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Prospects for an accelerated economic recovery in the second half of 2021 are brightening the outlook for the U.S. Chemical Processing Industry, as domestic producers expect to see stronger demand for petrochemical products, specialty chemicals, plastics and other goods. Industrial Info is tracking more than $577 million in maintenance-related projects at U.S. chemical plants that are set to kick off in the third quarter, with petrochemical and plastic/rubber units driving about 70% of the total.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing maintenance-related projects at U.S. chemical plants that are set to begin from July through September, by industry sector.

Industry observers would not be surprised to learn the two largest turnarounds are at petrochemical plants along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, which long has been a haven for big-ticket petro projects. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) (Irving, Texas) is preparing for maintenance on the main train ethylene unit at its chemicals complex in Baton Rouge, which produces 1 billion pounds per year each of two types of ethylene. Westlake Chemical Corporation (NYSE:WLK) (Houston, Texas) will begin work on the Petro 2 Unit at its petrochemicals complex in Sulphur, which produces 1.6 billion pounds per year of ethylene. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing Project Database can see detailed reports for the Baton Rouge and Sulphur projects.

Westlake already is one of the largest buyers of ethylene in the U.S., at more than 1 billion pounds annually. The company expects demand for its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) will continue to grow, which will drive its production of ethylene, a key ingredient for PVC, even higher in coming years. Ethylene also is a big business along the Gulf Coast for ExxonMobil.

The Texas Gulf Coast is a hot spot for the plastic/rubber sector. Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, a joint venture between Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) (San Ramon, California) and Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) (Houston, Texas), is preparing for a turnaround on Polyethylene Unit 40 at its Old Ocean Plant in Sweeny, Texas, which will allow the 1.1 billion-pound-per-year unit to produce runs of any one of multiple high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) products. Subscribers can learn more in Industrial Info's project report.

Formosa Plastics Group (Taipei, Taiwan) is preparing for a minor turnaround on the Polypropylene 1 Unit at its plastics complex in Point Comfort, Texas, which comprises four production lines with a combined capacity of 1.4 billion pounds per year of polypropylene resins. The turnaround is expected to wrap up by the end of October. Subscribers can learn more in Industrial Info's project report.

Outside the Gulf Coast, INEOS Group AG (London, England) is hosting one of the largest turnarounds at its acrylonitrile plant in Lima, Ohio. The facility produces 410 million pounds per year of acrylonitrile, as well as acetonitrile, hydrogen cyanide and catalysts. LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) (Houston) is preparing for a fall turnaround at the polymers area of its ethylene and plastic pellets plant in Clinton, Iowa, which produces about 487 million pounds per year of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and 450 million pounds per year of HDPE. Both projects are set to begin in September and conclude toward the end of October. Subscribers can learn more from Industrial Info's reports on the Ohio and Iowa projects.

The market for agricultural chemicals, including pesticides and fertilizers, also is expected to see growth in the near term. CF Industries Holdings Incorporated (NYSE:CF) (Deerfield, Illinois) is preparing for a turnaround on its 420,000-metric-ton-per-year ammonia unit at its fertilizer plant in Yazoo City, Mississippi, while Iowa Fertilizer Company LLC, a subsidiary of OCI NV (Amsterdam, Netherlands), is readying for work on its fertilizers plant in Weaver, Iowa, which produces urea, ammonia, nitric acid and other chemicals. Subscribers can read detailed reports for the Mississippi and Iowa projects.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.