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In the announcements posted on both companies’ official websites, DowDuPont Materials Science (DOW) and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company have successfully started up its newly constructed petrochemical facilities in Texas, USA this week.

Chevron Phillips Chemical reportedly brought the two new PE lines in Old Ocean, Texas to live on 19 September 2017. Each line has annual capacity of 500,000 tons/year making metallocene PE and bimodal HDPE grades. Customers in Asia were informed that the producer would run HDPE injection grade first to clear orders from domestic USA customers, before switching to film grade in the first quarter of 2018. Meanwhile, Chevron’s ethane cracker in Baytown, Texas is scheduled to begin commissioning by the first quarter of 2018 and would reach full rate by the second quarter.

Meanwhile, DOW successfully startup its ethane cracker and enhanced polyethylene production (ELITE) facility in Freeport, Texas too. The cracker has a nameplate production of 1.5 million tons/year and the downstream unit produces 400,000 tons/year of ELITE polyethylene. Both units will continue to ramp up through the third quarter and are expected to reach full rates in the fourth quarter of 2017. Three other downstream units, including a 350,000 tons/year LDPE line are expected to come online later this year.

In 2018, DOW is expected to startup at least two more downstream plants including a 200,000 tons/year next model metallocene, 320,000 tons/year polyolefin elastomers. By 2022, the company would add another 600,000 tons/year polyethylene (PE) capacity to the existing plant.