Antero Resources says it will be the anchor ethane supplier for a proposed cracker plant in West Virginia.
Antero announced an agreement on Wednesday to provide 30,000 barrels of ethane a day to the plant, if it’s built.
Brazilian petrochemical giant Odebrecht is exploring the possibility of building the ethane cracker and three polyethylene plants in Wood County. The complex would be known as Ascent, which stands for Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise.
Antero says in a news release that Ascent would use the ethane it supplies to manufacture polyethylene.
Odebrecht would lead the project’s investment and financing, along with water and electric utility operations. Plastics maker Braskem S.A. of Brazil would handle petrochemical-related activities.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin says the Antero agreement is a major step forward for the project.
Tag: cracker plant
How a Cracker Plant Impacts Air Quality & the State's Inmate Population is Shrinking
Our friends at Allegheny Front explore how a cracker plant has impacted the air quality in Houston and legislators receive an update on the effect of the Governor’s prison reform bill from this past session.
Parkersburg Area Plant Closing on Proposed Cracker Plant Land
A plastics manufacturer that employs 130 workers in Wood County is closing the plant on land where a Brazilian petrochemical giant is exploring the possibility of building several facilities.
SABIC Innovative Plastics informed employees at its Washington facility on Thursday.
That news came shortly before Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced Odebrecht had chosen the same site to explore the possible location of an ethane cracker plant and three polyethlene plants.
Plant manager Scott Dansey says SABIC is consolidating U.S. operations involving a type of thermoplastic resin. Some production will be transferred to plants in Ottawa, Ill., and Bay St. Louis, Miss., in 2015.
Dansey says employees will continue to work at the Washington site over the next 18 months to assist with the transition.
Will W.Va. Get an Ethane Cracker Plant?
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced this afternoon that a Brazilian petrochemical company, Odebrecht, has chosen a site in Wood County to explore the possible…
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin announced this afternoon that a Brazilian petrochemical company, Odebrecht, has chosen a site in Wood County to explore the possible location of an ethane cracker plant and three polyethlene plants.
The governor was disappointed when Shell announced a few years ago it was choosing Pennsylvania over West Virginia for a cracker plant. And he’s wanted one ever since.
“Literally from the first day of my administration I’ve made it a priority to take advantage of the vast resources of the Marcellus and Utica shale gas reserves to do more than just extract them and ship them out somewhere else but to create manufacturing jobs here in the Mountain State,” Tomblin said at the announcement in Parkersburg.
The complex will be called Ascent, short for Appalachian Shale Cracker Enterprise.
An official with Odebrecht says the company is moving cautiously. David Peoples said he didn’t want to raise expectations unnecessarily. But he was frank when he talked about needing a skilled and trained workforce.
“I was talking to the union representatives this morning and we have a lot of jobs,” Peoples said. “We have over 180,000 employees world wide and here in the United States one of the issues we have is drugs. And there’s a drug testing policy. For all of the young or even for the senior citizens like myself you do not get hired if you do not pass the drug testing policy.”
Ascent’s feasibility will depend on several important variables, including the contracting of long-term ethane supply, as well as financing, regulatory approvals, and appropriate governmental support.