Shell cracker plant to begin operations in 2022
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Shell’s massive ethane crack plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, will be fully operational in 2022, the company announced last week, according to the Observer-Reporter.
The recent announcement was the first time the company targeted a launch date more specific than “the early 2020s.” The $6-$10 billion project has been in the works for almost a decade.
The facility will be used to convert ethane, sourced from natural gas in the Marcellus and Utica shale plays, to polyethylene pellets, a feedstock for plastics production.
Learn more: Observer-Reporter > Shell says cracker plant will begin operations in 2022
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Shale FAQ
What is fracking?
Fracking is a slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracturing is a process by which highly pressurized fluid is pumped thousands of feet into the ground to fracture rock formations. The goal is to release the natural gas that’s locked inside the rock.
Is it safe?
What most concerns people about fracturing is ground water contamination. The worry is that fractures underground, caused by the process, will extending upwards and into aquifers, releasing gas and chemicals into the ground water supply. There’s been no confirmed reports of such a thing happening. Though surface spills and drill site blowouts can lead to localized environmental concerns.
Will my water catch on fire?
Flammable water is caused by the release of methane gas into a drinking water supply. Methane gas occurs naturally and can be released by any kind of drilling, including water wells. In Pennsylvania officials fined Chesapeake Energy $1 million for contaminating ground water with methane. It was determined that the company had not properly cemented it’s boreholes and gas migrated up the well, between rock and into aquifers.