Shell Execs Admit Rocky Start for PA Cracker, Things are Improving

The mighty Shell ethane cracker plant in Monaca (Beaver County), PA, has a new person in charge: Emma Lewis, senior vice president of U.S. chemicals and products at Shell. We told you Lewis had replaced Hilary Mercer back in January (see Shell PA Cracker’s First Birthday – One Unit Still Not Online). Lewis splits her…

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Shell CEO: Monaca Cracker Plant Not Fully Operational Til 2025/26

During last week’s second quarter update conference call by oil and gas giant Shell, the CEO, Wael Sawan, had some interesting comments about the mighty Shell ethane cracker in Monaca (Beaver County), PA. Sawan praised progress at the plant but then said it would be 2025 or 2026 before the plant would be “fully operational.”…

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Shell PA Cracker Must File for Full Title V Air Permit, or Else

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) sent a letter to the Shell ethane cracker plant on Feb. 22 essentially saying, “You’re time is up.” The cracker plant facility has 120 days from Feb. 22 (until Jun. 21) to file for a federal Title V Operating Permit for air emissions. If the facility doesn’t at…

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PA DEP Shakes Down Shell Another $2.6M for Cracker Air Violations

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and last May, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million…

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Shell PA Cracker’s First Birthday – One Unit Still Not Online

The Shell ethane cracker plant in Monaca, PA (Beaver County) just hit a milestone: It’s been up and running (in a manner of speaking) for one year. Except during that one year, quite a bit of the time was spent NOT running due to various technical and equipment issues. According to a review done by…

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PTT Working on Plan to Build Petchem Plant…in Thailand, Not Ohio

This is your friendly (somewhat snarky) semi-annual reminder from MDN that the PTT ethane cracker project in Ohio is dead (see Facing Reality – PTT Ohio Cracker Plant Project is Dead). We periodically look for signs of life in the project, and it has been a flat line for YEARS. Nothing. Local and state leaders…

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Shell’s PA Ethane Cracker Restarts After Weeks of Maintenance

Shell’s mighty ethane cracker plant in Monaca (Beaver County), PA, has been shut down for “weeks” in order to conduct maintenance on the plant. The cracker plant, according to the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP), has been down since October and is just now restarting. By our math, it was down for the entire…

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Now-Dead Parkersburg Cracker Site Finally Records Deed Transfer

Braskem, the largest petrochemical company in Latin America (headquartered in Brazil), and its parent company Odebrecht were, at one time, hot-to-trot to build a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker near Parkersburg, WV. Back in 2015, Braskem purchased the 374-acre site that was formerly the SABIC/GE property from Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise for $10.9 million. Then things…

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PTT Offers Excuses to Belmont County on Why Cracker Project Stalled

Two weeks ago, MDN editor Jim Willis offered the opinion that PTT Global Chemical is not going to build an ethane cracker plant in Belmont County (see Facing Reality – PTT Ohio Cracker Plant Project is Dead). He backed up his opinion with observations and facts to support it. On Tuesday, the Belmont County Township…

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Facing Reality – PTT Ohio Cracker Plant Project is Dead

We’ll say aloud what no one else appears ready or willing to say: The long-ballyhooed PTT ethane cracker plant project in Belmont County, Ohio, announced eight years ago, is dead. That’s our humble opinion. We periodically look for signs of life in the project, and it has been a flat line for YEARS. Nothing. A…

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KeyState NatGas/CCUS Project in Clinton, PA Now $2B, Extra 2 Yrs

The KeyState Natural Gas Synthesis project in Clinton County, PA, is developing the first carbon capture project in Pennsylvania, which will locally produce hydrogen, ammonia, and urea (see Innovative Clinton County, PA Petchem Plant Gets More Investors). The project includes a closed natural gas extraction and manufacturing system that produces zero emissions and emission-reduced products….

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Ctte Doling Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash Sets Criteria

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have–on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines…

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PA DEP Forms Ctte to Dole Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash

Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its new multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have–on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines…

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Green Activists Complain to Wrong Agency re Shell Cracker Violations

Yesterday around 30-40 environmental activists (anti-fossil fuelers), along with a handful of local residents, rallied in Beaver, PA, before showing up for the Beaver County Commission regular meeting. The protesters, who want the Shell ethane cracker plant shut down, vented their concerns about the plant to county commissioners. The three county commissioners listened while antis

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Shell Cracker Agrees to $10M Shakedown from PA, Restarting Now

In March, Shell said its Pennsylvania ethane cracker facility had not–using new, more accurate methods of measuring emissions–violated emissions limits… Continue reading The post Shell Cracker Agrees to $10M Shakedown from PA, Restarting Now first appeared on Marcellus Drilling News. This post appeared first on Marcellus Drilling News.

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