Western Canada's Chemical Industry Continues to Lead Canadian Chemical Spending

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The provinces of Western Canada, consisting of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, are home to some of Canada's largest chemical and petrochemical complexes. The region's Chemical Processing Industry (CPI) has consistently invested largely in new capacity projects and expansions in recent years. Based on active projects currently being tracked as part of Industrial Info's North American Project Database, capital and maintenance project construction starts in Western Canada could top $300 million during 2008. This level of project activity represents nearly two-thirds of the total CPI project activity identified for all of Canada during 2008.

The project spending identified for 2008 in Western Canada will have an emphasis on planned maintenance turnarounds consistent with CPI plant owners globally. Planned maintenance turnaround spending identified in the region for 2008 so far reaches nearly $50 million. Among the largest turnaround plans identified so far includes Nova Chemicals Corporation (NYSE:NCX) (Calgary, Alberta) and a planned 35-day turnaround of its E3 ethylene unit at the Joffre, Alberta, plant site. At the same site, Nova is progressing with debottlenecking its No. 2 polyethylene unit with Jacobs Canada Incorporated (Calgary, Alberta) providing engineering and procurement services for the estimated $30 million project. Looking even further down the road, the Joffre site has the potential to remain a focal point for Nova investments in the region with the potential of a third polyethylene unit at the site by 2010.

Western Canada is home to more than 100 CPI plants employing an estimated 8,400 people. This is more than a fourth of the total CPI plant population in all of Canada. The only grassroot plant planned or under construction in Western Canada is that of Arclin Canada Limited (Mississauga, Ontario), formerly Dynea Canada Limited. This new plant is expected to go online in the next few months completing a nearly $40 million investment and providing an estimated 40 new jobs to the regional market.

Investment spending in this region looks encouraging looking even further down the road. Based on active projects with a construction start equal to January 2009 or greater, an additional $1.5 billion has been identified for the region representing 28 projects. These investments are consistent with the region's desire and goal to make its natural gas, oil products and chemical commodities available to the global market.

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