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January 29, 2013
Technip awarded contracts for ethylene plant expansion in Kentucky
Gerald Ondrey
Technip (Paris, France; www.technip.com) was awarded engineering and procurement contracts by Westlake Chemical Corp. for the expansion and modernization of the ethylene cracking furnaces and the recovery section of Westlake’s ethylene plant in Calvert City, Kentucky. The ethylene production capacity will be increased by 40% — from 450 million lb/yr to 630 million lb/yr — and will use ethane feedstock instead of propane as per the original design.
The expansion and feedstock conversion of the ethylene plant will enhance Westlake’s vinyl-chain integration and leverage low-cost ethane being developed in regional shale-gas areas. Westlake is one of the major ethylene producers in the U.S. and its Calvert City operation is a large integrated PVC site.
Technip’s operating center in Claremont, California, will execute the work.
