OxyChem-Mexichem JV lets ethylene plant contract

Ingleside Ethylene LLC, a 50-50 joint venture of Occidental Chemical Corp. (OxyChem) and Mexichem, SAB. de CV (Mexichem), has awarded CB&I, Houston, a construction-related contract for an ethylene cracker on the site of an OxyChem plant at Ingleside, Tex.

The contract, valued at about $1 billion, is for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a 1.2-billion lb/year ethane cracker as well as associated utilities and offsites at OxyChem’s existing Ingleside location, according to CB&I.

Feedstock for the cracker is anticipated to be ethane derived from US shale gas, CB&I said.

Inglside Ethylene previously said construction is to begin in mid-2014, with commercial operations to begin in first-quarter 2017 (OGJ Online, Nov. 1, 2013).