NOVA Chemicals surpasses 65 per cent completion of its growth projects in Ontario, targets 2022 startup
By Pipitone Group
GeneralSarnia, ONTARIO (April 12, 2021) — NOVA Chemicals Corporation (“NOVA Chemicals”) today announced its second Advanced SCLAIRTECH™ technology (AST) unit and the third phase of the Corunna Cracker Expansion Project have each safely surpassed 65% completion. The first of eight electrical substations were safely energized in March, and the company estimates that both projects will commence full start-up activities in late 2022, after the Corunna Site turnaround which is targeted for spring 2022.
The new AST polyethylene unit, located at the new Rokeby Site in St. Clair Township, Ontario, will have a capacity of approximately one billion pounds per year. The cracker expansion will provide ethylene feedstock to the new AST facility, expanding the existing unit’s current capacity by more than 50 percent.
“We’re proud to bring Canadian ingenuity to the North American and global marketplace, especially as the plastics and chemicals landscape evolves around the world,” stated Luis Sierra, NOVA Chemicals’ president and CEO. “NOVA Chemicals will continue to be an innovator in developing a circular economy for plastics, which includes reducing plastic waste in our environment, by bringing new, premium-value plastics that support sustainable packaging solutions to the marketplace.”
Sierra continued, “The COVID-19 pandemic and the severe cold weather in February on the U.S. Gulf Coast have reminded us how NOVA’s products and geographic locations can provide our customers with security of supply and more choices. Our new octene copolymer AST facility will increase the volume of differentiated high-performance resins, provide our customers with supply assurance and introduce an expanded product slate designed to meet the increasing demand for easy to recycle products that help shape a better world.”
The combined investment of approximately $2.5 billion (CAD) brings cutting edge technology, high-paying jobs, and long-term viability to the region. Since the growth projects began in late 2017, NOVA Chemicals has added approximately $1.1 billion (CAD) to the provincial economy in labour and materials.
NOVA Chemicals is proud to be the largest private employer in the Sarnia-Lambton region. Currently there are nearly 1,800 workers onsite, representing more than four million hours worked since the project started. An estimated 150 permanent fulltime jobs will be created to operate and maintain the facilities.
“We are grateful for the resiliency and ongoing commitment of our employees, project team, contractors, and their families who are working to grow our business and shape the future of our Sarnia-Lambton community for generations to come. This workforce is building history right before us,” said Rob Thompson, Vice President of Manufacturing, NOVA Chemicals. “During unprecedented conditions everyone involved has worked diligently, adhering to strict government mandated COVID-19 protocols, to safely progress work on these two significant manufacturing projects.”
NOVA Chemicals develops and manufactures chemicals and plastic resins for applications such as food packaging, caps & closures and e-commerce packaging that make everyday life safer, healthier and easier. Currently, there are three manufacturing facilities and one corporate office in the Sarnia-Lambton region. The Corunna Site produces 1.8 billion pounds of ethylene and about 250 million pounds of co-products annually. Corunna provides feedstock to the Moore Site and St. Clair River Sites, which convert the ethylene into 1.38 billion pounds of polyethylene. Ethane, a component of natural gas, is the primary feedstock for ethylene production at Corunna Site.
About NOVA Chemicals
NOVA Chemicals develops and manufactures chemicals and plastic resins that make everyday life safer, healthier and easier. Our employees work to ensure health, safety, security and environmental stewardship through our commitment to sustainability and Responsible Care®. NOVA Chemicals, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is wholly-owned, ultimately by Mubadala Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. www.novachem.com
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