LyondellBasell, one of the largest plastics, chemical and refining companies, has announced that it is advancing plans to build the world’s largest propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant in the Houston area.
“We are moving forward in a deliberate fashion to develop what could become the single largest capital investment in LyondellBasell’s history,” said Chief Executive Officer Bob Patel. “We continue to believe that the combination of low-cost natural gas liquids available on the U.S. Gulf Coast, along with our leading proprietary PO/TBA technology, will allow this proposed project to capture maximum advantage of market opportunities.”
The Company will soon begin front-end engineering design work and file environmental permit applications. This phase will also include funding to order long lead-time equipment. A final investment decision is expected to be made following completion of the engineering design work. The Company’s complex located in Channelview, Texas was selected as the site for the PO/TBA unit. This project is part of LyondellBasell’s previously announced USD 3 – 4B expansion effort that will take place on the U.S. Gulf Coast over the next five years. LyondellBasell has already completed work on ethylene expansion projects at the Company’s La Porte and Channelview sites in Texas.
