The Qatari state-run oil and gas company QatarEnergy and Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC (CP Chem), Chevron’s petrochemical joint venture with Phillips 66, have taken a positive final investment decision on the construction of an integrated petrochemical project in Orange, Texas, the USA. The complex worth $8.5 billion will include a 2.08 million-tpy ethane cracker and two 1 million-tpy HDPE units. It is QatarEnergy’s largest petrochemical investment ever. CP Chem owns a 51% equity share in the joint venture Golden Triangle Polymers Company LLC, with QatarEnergy holding 49%. The company was named after the Golden Triangle region of Texas that includes the city of Orange where Chevron Phillips Chemical and its predecessors have had presence since 1955.

The construction will start immediately after the final investment decision is made. The complex startup is scheduled for 2026. The facility is expected to create more than 500 full-time jobs and about 4,500 construction ones, also generating an estimated $50 billion for the community as a residual economic impact. HDPE plants will make CP Chem’s Marlex polyethylene used in the production of pipes for natural gas and water delivery, along with products such kayaks and coolers. The commodity manufactured at the plant will also be used in an array of plastic packaging applications.

Golden Triangle Polymers Company LLC is aiming to have 25% lower greenhouse gas emissions than similar projects across the United States and Europe as a part of the company’s strategy to enable smaller carbon footprint. CP Chem will engage in the engineering, procurement and construction for the project and operate the facility after the commissioning. The project will help expand Chevron Phillips Chemical’s and QatarEnergy’s product portfolios and meet growing global demand for HDPE. The companies have jointly been operating assets in Qatar safely and reliably for over 20 years now and are looking forward to further cooperation.

 

SP Group, a specialist in flexible, rigid and vacuum packaging for thermoforming, rolled out its first recyclable and retortable two-layer film in autumn 2022. The highly puncture and mechanically resistant new product is destined for the mass market for foodstuff. The material can also undergo thermal processes such as sterilisation, which helps prolong food shelf life while preserving its properties and reducing food waste.

The company stated that this mono material solution had been created pursuant to the EU sustainable development directives, including Horizon 2030/2050 that stipulates that all the plastic packaging must be recyclable, reusable and compostable. So, upper HB Ecotop layer combined with lower RST ECO one is a fully recyclable solution because over 90% of its content is polypropylene and the rest does not interfere with recycling. It is ideal for the foodstuff exported to Germany as polypropylene is recycled most extensively in the country.