Shell closes on Pennsylvania cracker site

OREANDA-NEWS. June 19, 2015. Shell confirmed it closed on the purchase of a former Horsehead Holdings' zinc smelter site in Beaver County, Pennsylvania for its proposed ethane cracker.

Shell has yet to make a final investment decision on the proposed 1.5mn t/yr ethane cracker as it awaits environmental permits.

"The land purchase is a necessary step for Shell to advance the permitting process and allows us to proceed with some preliminary site development work," a Shell spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The company continues to evaluate the economics of the plant, which would utilize Marcellus shale ethane. The plans include the ethylene cracker and three polyethylene units with a combined annual production of approximately 1.6mn t/yr, according to Shell's website.