CALGARY – An Oklahoma-based company plans to spend up to $900 million to build a plant that converts Alberta propane into a more valuable product used to make plastics.
Williams says the facility will be the first in Canada to make polymer-grade propylene.
The gas will be transported on railcars to U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemical producers, but the company is also exploring ways to develop a market within Alberta.
Much of the propane Williams will use is a byproduct of the oilsands upgrading process.
David Chappell, president of Williams’ Canadian division, says processing the gas in Alberta is better for the economy than shipping it elsewhere in raw form.
The facility is expected to come into service during the second quarter of 2016, provided it receives regulatory approval.