Shell cracker construction update
Friday, October 12, 2018
On Wednesday, Michael Marr, Shell Appalachia’s business integration lead, gave his first presentation on the Pennsylvania Chemicals Project to an Ohio audience at Utica Summit VI, according to the Canton Repository.
Marr estimates the project will be completed sometime in the early 2020s, as workers began above-ground construction a year ago. Most recently, a 288-foot tower — the largest structure of the plant — was erected.
When the plant is completed it will include 95 miles of pipe and 20,000 tons of steel.
The project employees 3,000 workers currently and that number is expected to double over the next year as construction speeds up. When the plant is finished, it will have 600 full-time jobs.
Learn more: Canton Repository > Utica Summit hears update on Shell cracker
Leave a Comment
Marcellus & Utica Shale Well Map
Additional Shale Maps
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.