NOVA adds ethylene capacity in Ontario, predicting strong demand

NOVA Chemicals Corporation has announced a series of modernization upgrades to its Corunna, ON, ethylene flexi-cracker that will reduce production costs and improve reliability. The Corunna flexi-cracker supplies ethylene to NOVA Chemicals’ polyethylene and styrene manufacturing sites in the Sarnia, ON, area, and to other area plastics and petrochemical production facilities.
“We are accelerating plans to upgrade our Corunna plant in order to prepare for what we believe will be a prolonged period of strong demand for ethylene and polyethylene,” says Jeffrey M. Lipton, president and CEO of NOVA Chemicals. “This modernization will help to ensure reliable, high production rates as we head into peak industry conditions.” <br>
As part of the project, NOVA Chemicals plans to increase annual ethylene production capacity at the Corunna site by approximately 225 to 400 million pounds, depending on feedstocks, plus produce more propylene and coproducts. Increased supply to NOVA Chemicals’ three Sarnia-area ethylene consuming plants will reduce requirements to ship ethylene from the company’s Joffre, AB, facility.<br>
The approximately $260 million investment includes furnace and infrastructure improvements as well as the replacement of several large compressors. The upgrades are scheduled for 2005, with completion in the second quarter of 2006.<br>