Williams To Hike Ethylene Capacity

Natural gas processing firm Williams Cos. plans to expand ethylene capacity at its ethane steam cracker in Geismar, La., at a cost of $350 million to $400 million. When the project is completed in the third quarter of 2013, capacity will reach nearly 2 billion lb per year, an increase of 600 million lb. “The shale gas revolution in the U.S., coupled with continued strong crude oil prices, has given U.S.-based ethylene manufacturing a tremendous cost advantage over many other regions,” says Rory L. Miller, president of Williams’ midstream business. Other firms expanding U.S. ethylene capacity include Dow Chemical, Shell Chemical, and Chevron Phillips Chemical.