LyondellBasell is evaluating a further expansion project at its petrochemical plant in Channelview, Texas, that would potentially add up to 550 million lb/year (250,000 tpy) of ethylene capacity, the company announced on Wednesday.

Preliminary engineering work is already underway to assess expansion feasibility. If the project proceeds, the anticipated time frame for completion would be 2017.

The proposed expansion project would be in addition to work already underway to install two large cracking furnaces at the Channelview site. Those are slated to increase production by 250 million lb/year (113,000 tpy) when construction work is expected to be completed early next year.

In addition to expansion at Channelview, LyondellBasell is increasing ethylene capacity at two other Texas plants. An 800 million lb/year expansion has just been completed in La Porte, and an additional 800 million lb/year of capacity are also being added at the company's site in Corpus Christi, which is scheduled for completion in late 2015.  

When all three are completed, a total of 1.85 billion lb/year of ethylene capacity is expected. This figure will increase to 2.4 billion if the additional expansion project is finalized.

"Our strategy continues to be the cost-effective expansion of existing facilities to take swift advantage of abundant supplies of low cost natural gas and ethane from shale production," said Tim Roberts, executive vice president for LyondellBasell's Americas olefins and polyolefins business.

"The additional ethylene capacity we are already adding at our three Texas plants through existing expansionprojects is the equivalent of constructing a new stand-alone cracking unit," he added.