Dow completes construction of ELITE enhanced polyethylene production unit in Freeport, the US
The Dow Chemical Company announced the completion of the construction phase of its new ELITE enhanced polyethylene (PE) production facility in Freeport, Texas, the US.
Completed on time, the 400,000 metric ton PE unit is the first of four new derivative investments currently under way at Dow's manufacturing sites in Texas and Louisiana as part of the company's previously announced US$6 billion expansion on the US Gulf Coast.
"This milestone further reflects the steady progress our teams are making to bring these multi-phased investments online to enhance our cost-advantaged integration and industry-leading innovation," said Jim Fitterling, Dow's President and Chief Operating Officer.
"Taken together, these investments represent the industry's broadest and most differentiated derivative slate, fueled by Dow's proprietary catalyst and process technologies, and will deliver enhanced products and technologies for our customers while enabling higher quality growth for our shareholders."
The production unit now enters its commissioning and start-up phase in sequence with the mid-year start-up of Dow's 1.5 million metric ton ethylene facility. The plant is expected to ramp up during the third quarter and be fully operational in the fourth quarter.
Designed with Dow's proprietary Solution process technology, the unit will produce ELITE enhanced polyethylene resins, which can be used in multiple types of flexible packaging applications for food, personal hygiene products and industrial packaging.
"The mechanical completion of our first new polyethylene unit is yet another milestone that brings us closer to having more volume to meet growing customer demand globally," said Diego Donoso, Business President for Dow's Packaging and Specialty Plastics business.
Dow said its other three derivative units along with a planned debottleneck are proceeding on schedule and are staged to come online throughout 2017 and 2018.
