Inter Pipeline has begun construction on the Heartland Petrochemical Complex -- an acrylic acid and polypropylene derivates facility in Alberta, Canada. The new facility is expected to produce 525,000 tonnes of polypropylene annually.
The Heartland Petrochemical Complex (HPC) is set to become Canada’s first integrated petrochemical complex. The $600 million project will be lead by Inter Pipeline, who received funding from local government to build the facility. The HPC plant will primarily be an acrylic acid and polypropylene derivates facility. It was designed to take locally sourced, low cost propane to be converted into polypropylene -- a plastic material that is widely used by manufacturers for products.
The HPC is intended to eliminate transportation of propane to far flung facilities in order to be converted into polypropylene. According to the company, the facility will be able to convert 60,000 tonnes of polypropylene into 80,000 tonnes of polypropylene derivates. Inter Pipeline’s senior vice president, David Chapell, noted how the use of polypropylene can lead to an increase in the manufacturing of value-added products. Namely, coatings, adhesives, diapers, floor polishes, and paints.
“One plant brings (about) another plant and this is a great example. The polypropylene that we’re producing in our (Heartland Petrochemical Complex) and the propylene that we’re producing from our off-gas business causes this acrylic plant to be economic and of course, that means there could be other plants that could spin off from the acrylic acid plant,” Chappell said. “We’ve been approached by manufacturers about our polypropylene (and how) they want to start producing end products here in the province. So these investments are just the tip of the iceberg. You end up getting a lot more jobs and a lot more value-added (products) and that’s what we’ve been talking about here.”
Construction of the facility began in early 2018 in Strathcona County, Alberta and is expected to be completed by 2021. The plant is expected to offer 180 full-time jobs, all of who will work on producing a target number of 525,000 tonnes polypropylene annually.
Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank expressed his enthusiasm over the new project. “It is recognition by (both) levels of government of the importance of the Alberta’s Industrial Heartland Association (AIHA) as an economic engine for the province and country, of our energy and petrochemical industries doing business in an environmentally sustainable way, and the role of the county’s businesses as job creators. Strathcona County will continue to promote the importances of the AIHA and the Strathcona Industrial Association to the local, regional, and national economies.”
For more stories like this, check out how Toray plans to increase their production capacity of polypropylene film product here.