Ethylene Plants in the United States

7 September 2024

General Overview

Ethylene is an important monomer used for the production of many plastic resins and basic chemicals. Worldwide production is on the order of 150 million tons annually. It is produced by the pyrolysis or cracking of light hydrocarbons or alkanes. Typically, US ethylene producers use ethane derived from natural gas as a feedstock. Ethane is mixed with steam and fed to large furnaces called crackers. The process is referred to as "steam cracking". At high temperature, >2000°F, ethane breaks down into ethylene. The outlet of the cracker is quickly cooled and quenched to limit the further breakdown of the hydrocarbons. This process also produces byproducts such as propylene and butadiene. These byproducts are separated from ethylene by distillation. Pure, 99.9 wt%, ethylene and propylene are sold. Unreacted ethane is recycled back to the cracker.

Numerous companies operate steam crackers in the US. Below is a list of these companies:

• CPChem
• ExxonMobil Chemical
• Indorama Ventures
• Westlake Chemical
• BASF/Total (Joint Venture)
• LyondellBassell
• Formosa Plastics Corporation
• Shell Chemical
• Ineos
• Dow Chemical
• OxyChem
• Motiva
• Eastman Chemical
• Nova Chemicals
• Shin-Etsu
• Westlake/Lotte Chemical (Joint Venture)
• Sasol
• Bayport Polymers

CPChem

Chevron Phillips Chemical, (CPChem) is a joint venture between Chevron and Phillips Petroleum. The company is a petrochemical company with global operations. The company operates three ethylene plants in the US.

Cedar Bayou

The Cedar Bayou facility consists of two steam crackers which supply CPChem's adjacent polyethylene plants. Cedar Bayou is located in Mont Belvieu, Texas east of Houston.

Sweeny

The Sweeny facility consists of three steam crackers. It is located next to the Phillips 66 Sweeny refinery approximately 50 miles southwest of Houston.

Port Arthur

The Port Arthur facility consists of a single steam cracker. The facility is located near other refining and chemical operations in Port Arthur. Port Arthur is south of Beaumont, Texas.

ExxonMobil Chemical

ExxonMobil Chemical is a subsidiary of oil and gas giant ExxonMobil which manufactures petrochemicals such as polyethylene. ExxonMobil Chemical operates four ethylene plants at its refineries along the Gulf coast.

Baytown

The Baytown ethylene plant consists of three steam crackers. The plant is located at ExxonMobil's refinery in Baytown east of Houston.

Beaumont

The Beaumont ethylene plant consists of two steam crackers. The plant is located at ExxonMobil's refinery in Beaumont, Texas.

Baton Rouge

The Baton Rouge ethylene plant consists of a single steam cracker. The plant is located at ExxonMobil's refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Portland

SABIC is a Saudi Arabian petrochemical company. ExxonMobil formed a joint venture with SABIC to produce polyethylene in Portland, Texas. The Portland facility contains a single steam cracker. The plant is located near the city of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Indorama Ventures

Indorama Ventures is a Thai petrochemical company. The company operates two ethylene plants in the US.

Port Neches

A single steam cracker is located at the company's petrochemical complex in Port Neches. The city is situated near Port Arthur, Texas.

Sulphur

Indorama operates a single steam cracker in Sulphur, Louisiana. The site is located in an area near other chemical and refining operations. Sulphur is close to the city of Lake Charles.

Westlake Chemical

Westlake is a Houston-based PVC and petrochemical producer. The company operates two ethylene plants, and it is engaged in a joint venture with Lotte Chemical.

Sulphur

Westlake operates two steam crackers in Sulphur, Louisiana. The site is located in an area near other chemical and refining operations. Sulphur is close to the city of Lake Charles.

Calvert City

Westlake operates a steam cracker in Calvert City, Kentucky. The ethylene plant is situated next to Westlake's chlor-alkali and VCM operations in Calvert City.

BASF/Total (Joint Venture)

BASF is a German chemical company and one of the largest in the world. Total Energies is a French oil and gas company with numerous petrochemical operations.

Port Arthur

A joint venture between BASF and Total owns a steam cracker situated at Total's refinery in Port Arthur.

LyondellBassell

LyondellBassell is one of the largest petrochemical companies in the world. It operates five ethylene plants in the US.

Channelview

LyondellBassell's Channelview complex contains two steam crackers. The complex is located northeast of Houston.

LaPorte

LyondellBassell operates a steam cracker at its LaPorte facility located along the east Houston ship channel.

Corpus Christi

The Corpus Christi ethylene plant consists of a single steam cracker. The site is located west of the city of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Clinton

The Clinton ethylene plant consists of a single steam cracker. The site is located in Clinton, Iowa north of Davenport.

Morris

The Morris ethylene plant consists of a single steam cracker. The site is located in Morris, Illinois southwest of Chicago.

Formosa Plastics Corporation

Formosa Plastics Corporation (FPC) is a Taiwanese PVC and petrochemical producer.

Point Comfort

FPC operates 3 steam crackers at its Point Comfort, Texas complex. Point Comfort is located in Port Lavaca along the Gulf coast of Texas between Corpus Christi and Freeport.

Shell Chemical

Shell Chemical is a subsidiary of the oil and gas giant Shell plc. Shell operates 3 ethylene plants in the US.

Deer Park

Shell owns three steam crackers within the PEMEX refinery in Deer Park on the Houston ship channel.

Norco

Shell operates a single steam cracker within its refinery in Norco, Louisiana. Norco is located on the Mississippi river north of New Orleans.

Monaca

Shell owns a sigle steam cracker within its chemical complex in Monaca, Philadelphia. The site is located on the Ohio River north of Pittsburg.

Ineos

Ineos is a British petrochemical conglomerate. The company operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Chocolate Bayou

The Chocolate Bayou facility consists of two steam crackers. Chocolate Bayou is approximately 40 miles south of Houston.

Dow Chemical

Dow Chemical is one of the largest chemical companies in the world. It operates five ethylene plants in the US.

Freeport

Dow operates a steam cracker within its main Freeport, Texas complex.

Oyster Creek

East of Dow's Freeport facility is Oyster Creek. Here, Dow operates two steam crackers.

Orange

East of Beaumont, Texas is Orange, Texas where Dow operates a single steam cracker.

Plaquemine

South of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, along the Mississippi river, is Plaquemine where Dow operates two steam crackers.

Taft

Dow operates two steam crackers at its Taft, Louisiana facility. Taft is west of New Orleans.

OxyChem

Occidental Chemical is subsidiary of the oil and gas company Occidental (Oxy). OxyChem operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Ingleside

Ingleside is located north of Corpus Christi, Texas. Here, OxyChem operates a steam cracker as part of a joint venture with MexiChem.

Motiva

Motiva is the US subsidiary of Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant Aramco. The company operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Port Arthur

Aramco operates a steam cracker adjacent to its Port Arthur refinery.

Eastman Chemical

Eastman Chemical is a chemical manufacturer known for being the former chemical subsidiary of Eastman Kodak. The company operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Longview

Eastman operates a steam cracker within its Longview, Texas complex.

Nova Chemicals

Nova Chemicals is a Canadian petrochemical company which operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Geismar

Geismar, Louisiana is located south of Baton Rouge. Nova chemicals owns a steam cracker in Geismar near numerous other chemical operations.

Shin-Etsu

Shin-Etsu is a Japanese PVC producer. Its US subsidiary operates a single ethylene plant.

Plaquemine

Shin-Etsu operates a steam cracker at its Plaquemine chemical complex.

Westlake/Lotte Chemical (Joint Venture)

Lotte Chemical is a Korean chemical company. A joint venture between Westlake and Lotte Chemical owns a single ethylene plant in the US.

Lake Charles

The joint venture operate a steam cracker in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The plant is located near other refining and chemical operations.

Sasol

Sasol is a South African petrochemical company. It operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Lake Charles

Sasol operates a steam cracker within its petrochemical complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Bayport Polymers

Baystar (Bayport Polymers) is a Pasadena, Texas based polyethylene producer. It operates a single ethylene plant in the US.

Port Arthur

Baystar operates a steam cracker adjacent to the Total Energies refinery in Port Arthur, Texas to supply its polyethylene plants in Texas.