LyondellBasell has announced that it has reached the final investment decision (FID) to build the world’s largest propylene oxide (PO) and tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) plant in the Houston area, Texas, USA. The project will represent the single-largest capital investment in the company’s history, at an approximate cost of USD $2.4 billion.
The proposed location for the PO/TBA plant is the LyondellBasell Channelview Complex located in Channelview, Texas. The associated ethers unit, which will convert TBA to oxyfuels, is proposed for the company’s Bayport Complex near Pasadena, Texas.
Once in operation, the plant is expected to produce 470,000 tpy of PO and 1 million tpy of TBA annually. The company has completed front-end engineering design (FEED) work and received the required environmental permits. It is anticipated the project will be completed by the middle of 2021.