Sasol’s US Lake Charles LLDPE unit mechanically complete, cracker completion imminent

HOUSTON (ICIS)–The linear-low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit of Sasol’s Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP) in the US is mechanically complete, and mechanical completion of the cracker is imminent, a company spokesman said on Thursday.

Photo: Sasol’s Lake Charles Chemicals Project (LCCP) Source: Sasol

The overall project had reached 91% completion, with engineering and procurement substantially complete and construction at 75%, by the end of September, the company source said.

At that time, capital expenditure on the project amounted to $10.4bn.

The LCCP project includes a 1.5m tonne/year ethane cracker, and downstream units of 470,000 tonne/year LLDPE, 420,000 tonnes/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) and 300,000 tonnes/year of ethylene oxide (EO).

Commissioning activities for the LLDPE capacity are underway with beneficial operations expected before the end of December.

Beneficial operation of the cracker is expected in early 2019, which will be a few weeks after its mechanical completion.

Operations of the EO and LDPE units will follow.

The LCCP is one of several projects which are expanding ethylene and derivative capacity in the US Gulf.

Tableau interactive by Tracy Dang