Associated Press Published

Cracker Plant Across the River in Ohio?

551px-Map_of_Ohio_highlighting_Belmont_County.svg_.png

Developers say they’re considering a site in eastern Ohio for a multibillion-dollar ethane plant.

State and local leaders announced Wednesday that developers envision a site in Belmont County near the Ohio River for a new ethane cracker plant, which takes ethane and breaks it down into a substance used to make chemicals and plastic.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Belmont County leaders are hoping to secure a commitment with developers within the next year.

Belmont County Commissioner Mark Thomas tells the newspaper the plant could be “one of the biggest developments ever in Ohio” and could lead to several hundred permanent jobs and several thousand construction jobs.

Thomas says state and local officials have been working with developers since late 2013.