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PetroChem Wire by OPIS, a Dow Jones Company, Operations Updates

PetroChem Wire provides updates throughout the day on the impacts of major storms on the chemical industry in the US Gulf region. Check back during active storms for live updates. In the interim, please see the below maps and news updates for the current operational status of the petrochemical facilities along the US Gulf Coast.

No Reportable Storms

Updated 6/9/2022 at 11:00 a.m. CDT 

To order PCW’s Ethylene, Propylene and PVC & Pipe full system maps, contact Cindy Bryan, Sales Director at cindy@petrochemwire.com. These detailed maps include crackers, refineries, propylene splitters and derivatives plants; pipeline connections; storage locations; as well as rail racks, truck racks and terminals.

For a list of current ethylene capacity that is offline by facility, please see page 7 of the PCW Daily Wire report.

 

PETROCHEMICAL NEWS

Baystar Port Arthur, TX Ethane Cracker in Startup Mode

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Bayport Polymers (Baystar) has begun initial commissioning and startup of its new ethane cracker in Port Arthur, TX according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The company said in the filing that the startup process could last until Jul 15.

The ethylene plant has a nameplate capacity of 2.2 billion lbs/yr, which is about 2.6% of current US capacity. The month-to-date US Gulf Coast cracker operating rate was about 90%, according to the latest PetroChem Wire Daily report.

“The ethane cracker is a greenfield unit undergoing initial commissioning and startup. During this time period, process venting generated from commissioning and startup activities will be routed to the flare and safely combusted,” the filing stated. “Pyrolysis furnaces will be commissioned and could experience intermittent startup emissions. The start date, time, and duration of this planned initial startup event are estimated for this initial notification.”

Baystar is a joint venture 50% owned by TotalEnergies Petrochemicals & Refining USA, Inc. and 50% owned by Novealis Holdings, which is a separate joint venture between Borealis and NOVA Chemicals.

The plant went into a similar startup mode last summer, according to a TCEQ filing at the time. However, the process was delayed.

Ethylene pricing at the Enterprise hub at market close on Apr 18 was 31 cpp. Pricing at the Choctaw hub in Louisiana was 29 cpp.

–Reporting by Bobbie Clark, bclark@opisnet.com; Editing by David Barry, david@petrochemwire.com, Julia Giordano, julia@petrochemwire.com, Michael Kelly, mkelly@opisnet.com and Donna Todd, donna@petrochemwire.com

 

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Questions? Reach out to the PCW team directly

Global Petrochemicals

Kathy Hall, Executive Director Product Management, Global Petrochemicals

C: +1 720 480 6288            ICE Chat: khall2                 kathy@petrochemwire.com

 

US Petrochemicals

Bobbie Clark, Director, PetroChem Wire

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Olefins

Julia Giordano, Associate Director, Olefins

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Team ICE Desk Chat: Olefins OPIS PCW

 

Polyolefins

David Barry, Associate Director, Polyolefins

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PVC & Pipe

Donna Todd, Senior Editor, PVC & Pipe

C: +1 936 615 7825                                                       donna@petrochemwire.com

 

Feedstocks & Aromatics

Anna Matherne, Associate Director, Feedstocks & Aromatics

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Shayan Malayerizadeh, Associate Director, Aromatics

C: +1 832 278 3711            ICE Chat: smalayerizadeh              smalayerizadeh@opisnet.com

 

Recycled Plastics

Xavier Cronin, Senior Editor, Recycled Plastics

C: +1 203 829 6313                                                       xavier@petrochemwire.com