More ethylene capacity planned for US Gulf Coast

Oct. 23, 2014
Westlake Chemical Corp., Houston, will expand ethylene capacity and make other capital improvements in a $330-million project at its Sulphur, La., plant near Lake Charles.

Westlake Chemical Corp., Houston, will expand ethylene capacity and make other capital improvements in a $330-million project at its Sulphur, La., plant near Lake Charles.

The expansion will be completed late next year or early in 2016, the company said, and increase ethane-based ethylene capacity by about 250 million lb/year.

OGJ lists two Westlake plants at Sulphur: No. 1 at 567,000 lb/day and No. 2 at 630,000 lb/day (OGJ, July 7, 2014, p. 90).

Westlake Chemical announced the project even as Sasol Ltd.-owned Sasol Chemicals (USA) LLC continues to mull an ethane cracker and derivatives project for southwest Louisiana (OGJ Online, May 1, 2014).