After years of construction, Shell ethane cracker starts up
Years in the works, a massive petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania fed by the vast natural gas reservoir underneath Appalachia is fully operational
MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Years in the works, a massive petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania fed by the vast natural gas reservoir underneath Appalachia became fully operational Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell plc said.
The refinery, built on the site of a former zinc smelter along the Ohio River some 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, will produce 3.5 billion pounds of polyethylene annually when it ramps up to full production by the second half of 2023, Shell said.
The refinery brings in ethane from natural gas wells and chemically “cracks” the liquid fuel by heating it in furnaces to create ethylene, which is used to produce everything from plastics to tires to antifreeze.
Shell, the British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, had projected to spend $6 billion on the plant, making it one of the largest — if not the largest — industrial developments in Pennsylvania.
