LACC LLC, a 50-50 joint venture of Lotte Chemical Corp. subsidiary Lotte Chemical USA Corp. and Westlake Chemical Corp., is progressing with work on a long-planned grassroots petrochemical project in southwest Louisiana.
CB&I, Houston, has completed installation of the first three of four major modules and expects to install the final module later this month at the project in Lake Charles, La., marking the first time CB&I has modularized its proprietary SRT ethylene heaters, a key component of the project’s ethane cracker that will produce more than 1 million-ton/year of ethylene.
The modularization, delivery, and installation of the modules also marks the first time a modular project of this size and complexity has been executed in the US, according to CB&I.
LACC previously let a contract to CB&I to provide engineering, procurement, fabrication, and construction for the ethane cracker, which will use the service company’s proprietary highly selective SRT cracking heaters as well as its recovery section design.
CB&I’s scope of work under the $1.3-billion EPC contract was to include supply of spheres and fabricated pipe spools. CB&I also delivered detailed engineering and early procurement services for the project following the service provider’s previous delivery of front-end engineering and design and other early-stage engineering works for the cracker.
LACC started major construction on the $3-billion Lake Charles petrochemical project in June 2016, just following announcement of Axiall’s now-completed merger with Houston-based Westlake Chemical Corp.
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