Chevron Phillips and QatarEnergy building $8.5-billion integrated polymers facility

Petrochemical companies Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LLC (CPC) and QatarEnergy have announced the creation of Golden Triangle Polymers Co. LLC, a joint venture project that will build a US$8.5-billion integrated polymers facility in Orange, Texas.

“Chevron Phillips Chemical and QatarEnergy have collaborated for over 20 years on the assets we operate together in Qatar. We have a great relationship and a proven track record of operating these facilities safely and reliably,” CPC president and CEO Bruce Chinn said in a Nov. 16 news release. “Our products help make life better for billions of people every day, and they are part of a lower carbon future. This facility will help meet the growing demand for our products and improve the quality of life for the world’s growing global population.”

Chevron Phillips Chemical, which is headquartered in The Woodlands, Tex., owns a 51 per cent equity share in the joint venture and QatarEnergy owns 49 per cent.

Construction will begin immediately on the project, with operations expected to begin in 2026. Once operational, the plant will produce Marlex-brand polyethylene (PE), which CPC says is used in the production of durable goods like pipe for natural gas and water delivery and recreational products such as kayaks and coolers. The complex will have two high-density PE lines, each with annual capacity of 2.2 billion pounds, and an ethane cracker with annual capacity more than 4.5 billion pounds. The project will create 500 full-time jobs and about 4,500 jobs during construction.

The JV is being named for the “Golden Triangle” region of Texas that includes the city of Orange.