Shell’s ethane cracker may spur construction of similar plants in region
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Royal Dutch Shell has opened a new petrochemical industry in the Ohio Valley, according to The Business Journal.
Shell recently announced that it will build its ethane cracker in Monaca, Pennsylvania. The ethane cracker is likely to spur the construction of additional cracker plants in the region, including the proposed cracker in Belmont County, Ohio, as well as a plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia. Crackers have been proposed in both of those locations but no final commitments have been made yet.
At the cracker plant, Shell plans to process ethane, a liquid gas, into polyethylene, which is used to manufacture specific products. The plant will be the first of its kind to be built in the northeastern United States.
Read more: The Business Journal > Shell Cracks Open New Petrochemical Industry
More about Shell’s ethane cracker:
- Shell views Monaca ethane cracker as one of its top investment decisions – May 13, 2016
- Shell intends to spend more money in downstream, petrochemicals in 2016 – Feb. 13, 2016
- Shell keeps Beaver County ethane cracker project in plans for now – Feb. 9, 2016
- Shell takes more steps for ethane cracker plant location in Monaca, Pennsylvania – Oct. 12, 2015
- DEP grants Shell air quality permit for Monaca, Pennsylvania, ethane cracker – June 22, 2015
- Shell closes on Monaca, Pennsylvania, site for cracker plant – June 20, 2015
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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.
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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.
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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.