Westlake Chemical's ethane-based steam cracker project with South Korea's Lotte Chemical in Louisiana remains on target for a late 2018 completion, with start up expected in the first half of 2019, Westlake said Tuesday during an earnings call.
The 1 million mt/year steam cracker being built in Lake Charles, Louisiana, remains on schedule, according to Westlake, which holds a minority share in the project, with an option to increase its stake down the line. Construction began in mid-2016.
The steam cracker was originally a joint venture between Lotte and Axiall Corp., which was acquired by Westlake in 2016.
Ethylene produced at the facility would be used for Westlake's vinyls production.
In addition, Lotte plans to build and operate a new 700,000 mt/year monoethylene glycol manufacturing plant adjacent to the cracker, with most of the MEG slated for export, the company has previously said.
