Westlake To Expand Ethylene Capacity

In another investment capitalizing on North America’s enhanced competitive position because of cheap natural gas, Westlake Chemical is expanding its two ethylene crackers in Lake Charles, La., and upgrading and studying expansions at its Calvert City, Ky., cracker. In Lake Charles, where the company cracks ethane into ethylene, the company is expanding the annual capacity of one cracker by 240 million lb by late 2012. It will expand its other ethylene unit at the site by 2014. In Calvert City, the company will convert some of its feedstock slate from propane to ethane and study a cracker expansion there. In late March, Chevron Phillips Chemical unveiled plans to build a new ethylene cracker on the U.S. Gulf Coast.