Where will all the product from the not only the Shell cracker but also the half dozen new crackers on the Gulf Coast go? It will feed the growing global demand for plastics products. Rapidly growing developing countries, particularly in Asia are creating a large bubble of middle class consumers. As the consuming middle class develops, so does the demand for plastics in everyday items from toothbrushes, to pens, to cars, to computer keyboards.  At the APIC conference of May 2016 IHS estimated that the world will need between 5 to 6 world scale ethylene cracker plants per year from 2020 to 2030. With ethane prices among the lowest cost in the world, and ample ethane supply, the region is well suited to compete for these new plants.

Tom Gellrich is the founder of Topline Analytics, focused on helping organizations leverage the profound downstream changes of the shale gas revolution. He can be reached at    267.205.1263

Joseph Barone
www.ShaleDirectories.com