Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. has received the board approval to move forward with its plans to execute the US Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project first announced in March 2011.

Additionally, the company was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to a joint venture between JGC (USA), Inc. and Fluor Enterprises, Inc. to execute the 1.5 million metric tons/year (3.3 billion lb/year) ethane cracker portion of the project. The company has also awarded an EPC contract to Gulf Coast Partners, a partnership between Technip USA Inc. and Zachry Industrial, Inc., to execute the two new polyethylene facilities, each with an annual capacity of 500,000 metric tons (1.1 billion lb).

The polyethylene units will be capable of producing a wide variety of high and linear low density polyethylene products including bimodal and metallocene-based polyethylene polymers. These facilities will incorporate Chevron Phillips Chemical's metallocene technology and proprietary Advanced Dual Loop bimodal technology. 

In addition to the bimodal and linear low density products, the company says the flexibility of these units will allow for growth of current blowmolding, injection molding and film grades offered by Chevron Phillips Chemical. Sold under the brand names of Marlex resins for rigid packaging and extrusion applications and Marflex resins for film and extrusion coating applications, the new production facilities will be complemented by expansion of Chevron Phillips Chemical's Technical Service capability offering sustainable options in a variety of applications ranging from flexible packaging to high performance pressure pipe.

The ethane cracker will be built at Chevron Phillips Chemical's Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, TX, and two polyethylene units will be built at a site in Old Ocean, TX, near Chevron Phillips Chemical's Sweeny plant. The USGC Petrochemicals Project is expected to commence construction in early 2014 and create approximately 400 long-term direct jobs and 10,000 engineering and construction jobs.

Site preparation is in progress, critical equipment for the project has been ordered, expansion of the supporting infrastructure has commenced and the company has executed a contract for the fabrication of the rail cars needed to supply product to its customers.