CBS News

Shell cracker plant once again issued pollution violation notice

BY PATRICK DAMP: FEBRUARY 18, 2023 / 8:44 AM / CBS PITTSBURGH

INDUSTRY, Pa. (KDKA) – The Shell cracker plant in Beaver County has once again been issued a pollution violation notice. 

This is the third time the state’s department of environmental protection has said the plant has exceeded emission limits, once again violating rolling 12-month standards in November and December.

The plant has only been operational since November. 

The DEP said in November it emitted 716 tons of volatile organic compounds, 200 tons above what is allowed.  read more

Pa. advocates issue intent to sue Shell cracker for emissions violations 

JON HURDLE: Inside Climate News: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: FEB 3, 2023

Two environmental groups said on Thursday they intend to sue Shell Chemical Appalachia, operator of a big new petrochemical plant in Potter Township, for its violation of federal and state air-quality standards.

The Environmental Integrity Project and the Clean Air Council gave Shell a required 60 days to respond to their notice of intent to sue on the grounds that the company violated the federal Clean Air Act, a state plan to implement it, a Pennsylvania air-quality law and the state permits under which it is allowed to emit specific quantities of some contaminants. read more

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Flaring emissions dominate pollution from Beaver County’s Shell plant

ANYA LITVAK: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette [email protected]: Jan 22 2023

September was a tumultuous month for the Shell chemical plant in Beaver County.

On Sept. 3, a missing O-ring in a circulation pump led to a leak of isobutane vapor. Two days later, brown emissions were seen coming out of high pressure ground flares — two metal combustion chambers that burn off unwanted gasses from the ethane cracker.

Three days after that, two separate flanges leaked hydrocarbons, and an ethylene refrigerant compressor tripped after it registered a high dew-point temperature. It tripped again two days later because of high vibration, which cascaded into a trip of several other systems. read more

Shell Energy Broadband Reviews recently posted on broadband.co.uk

Reviewer Caroline Deakin: Location South West: Date 2022-12-18

Comments

Unbelievably bad. Have spoken to 7 different Shell, so called ‘customer advices, people. They have been polite but obviously make it up as they go along. They pretend they are referring to my notes but have no record of anything. Have waited ,in 2 whole days for engineers I was told would come, either AM or PM and would text me to confirm time. They didn’t come or text. I am being charged for a service I am not receiving. I have wasted hours phoning or waiting for Open Reach. I am under contract and want terminate but apparently can’t, or have to pay a severence fee. That is so wrong. Can Shell do this, arn’t they regulated. Are they as bad as energy providers as they are at telecoms? read more

“We have questions to answer” about single-use plastic waste, reveal internal emails from Shell

24 Dec 2022

Shell is under scrutiny as a result of internal emails put into the public domain relating to the controversial Shell Petrochemicals Complex situated along the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.

Extract from a related article 

The multi-billion-dollar Shell facility was fully operational in November after years of construction and has already been charged by state environmental agencies for exceeding the annual limit for volatile organic compounds that create lung-damaging smog. Among the documents, released on December 9, was an email correspondence within Shell’s communications team. read more

Shell to pave roads with plastic-enhanced asphalt

POTTER TWP. — Shell Polymers will partner with a chemical recycling company to pave roads at its petrochemical site with asphalt enhanced with recycled plastic additive.

Shell on Thursday announced plans to pave nearly six miles of site roads and 47,000 square yards of parking lots with the mix at its Beaver County site, which will begin turning natural gas into plastic pellets next year.

Hilary Mercer, Shell Polymers senior vice president, called the move a “win-win” for the environment and the cracker plant project “by using materials that would otherwise have been plastic waste.” read more

Shell: Pennsylvania ethane plant completion expected in 2022

MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Shell Chemicals officials say the planned multi-billion-dollar petrochemical, or ethane cracker, plant in western Pennsylvania is expected to be completed next year.

The company said in a statement Tuesday that the company is now in the early stages of commissioning and start-up activities, the Beaver County Times reported.

Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said in an earnings call last month that the complex, now more than 70 percent complete, would likely be “fully operational” sometime in 2022. read more

Shell sees 70%-complete Pennsylvania petchem project operational in 2022

Shell plans to complete construction at Pennsylvania petchem project by 2022: CEO

PETROCHEMICALS: 04 Feb 2021 | 21:06 UTC: New York

• AuthorJacquelyn Melinek 
• EditorDerek Sands 

New York — Shell Chemical announced that construction at its $6 billion petrochemical complex in Pennsylvania is expected to be completed in 2022, Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said during an earnings call Feb. 4.

Shell previously expected the Pennsylvania project to start up in the first half of 2021 after suspending work in mid-March 2020 due to coronavirus pandemic concerns. read more

Shell Cracker Plant Has 39 Cases Of Coronavirus

CBS Pittsburgh KDKA TV•November 13, 2020

Thirty-nine workers at the Shell Cracker Plant in Beaver County have tested positive for the coronavirus.

SOURCE

Environmental groups want Shell air permit denied

Environmental groups are urging the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to deny Shell Pennsylvania Chemical’s air quality permits on the basis of what they say will be too much pollution into the Pittsburgh region.

Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community’s letter is the latest volley in environmentalists’ battle against the Potter Township project, costing in excess of $6 billion, that has remade a portion of the Ohio River coastline and brought thousands of construction jobs into the region. They’ve asked for a 30-day extension for more information about the permits as well. read more

Shell says Pennsylvania ethane cracker about 70% complete

By Reuters Staff: October 9, 2020

Oct 9 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc said on Friday its multibillion-dollar petrochemical complex near Pittsburgh was about 70% complete and remains on track to enter service in the early 2020s.

After temporarily suspending construction activities on the ethane cracker in March to limit the spread of coronavirus, Shell said it has been re-introducing workers at a measured pace – bringing the total number of workers on site to about 6,500. read more

A massive Pennsylvania plastics project, owned by Shell, that President Donald Trump touted during a visit last year faces risks of oversupply and a low price outlook, an energy industry report said on Thursday.

Pandemic exposes cracks in oil majors’ bet on plastic

Joe Brock: JUNE 4, 2020

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The energy industry’s bet that a petrochemicals boom would support decades of oil and gas sales growth is on shaky ground as an already saturated plastic market is hit by a coronavirus demand shock.

While soaring demand for personal protective equipment and takeaway food containers has boosted sales of some plastics, it is likely to be only a temporary spike, say analysts. read more

Shell adding more workers to Beaver County construction site

By: Paul J. Gough – Reporter, Pittsburgh Business Times
Updated: May 14, 2020 – 5:13 PM

BEAVER COUNTY, Pa. — Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals is planning to reintroduce more workers to its Beaver County construction site, which had been temporarily shut down in March over Covid-19 safety concerns.

Several weeks ago, Shell began to add more workers from the 300 or so that had remained there for security and other approved purposes even after the construction had been temporarily halted. It now has 800 workers there as it adds employees, but it’s a small portion of the 7,000 or so it had two months ago. read more

MARCH 18, 2020 / 8:41 PM

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc RDSA.L will temporarily suspend construction activities on a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker being constructed along the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, amid concerns about coronavirus spreading, the company said in a statement late Wednesday.

Some local officials have called for construction to be stopped to limit the potential spread of the novel coronavirus, due to the large number of workers on the project. read more

Shortly before President Trump visited the Royal Dutch Shell plant in Pennsylvania on Aug. 13, thousands of workers received a memo from Shell about the company’s expectations of the event. The memo informed them that their attendance at the speech was “not mandatory,” but that if they did not scan in to work that morning, they would not receive their pay for the day. They also would lose eligibility to receive the 16 hours of overtime pay built into their workweek.

Although some workers chose not to attend, Trump spoke before a warehouse packed with Shell employees. At one point, the president turned to the union leaders and demanded that they support his reelection campaign. Trump told the workers that if the leaders refused to back him, they should “vote them the hell out of office because they’re not doing their job.” read more

Shell Petrochemical Plant under construction in Beaver County Pa., Crowded with Cranes. Aug 2019

Operating Heavy machine is no joke. If anything goes wrong, it can claim lives.

So, as a crane operator, you should make sure the whole operations go smoothly. Following, we are giving you a few safety tips to help you out!

What You Need to Know

Tower and mobile cranes are useful for different construction scenarios. But they do present a few hazards like:

Collapse: Crane collapse are unfortunate events that may lead to severe (even fatal) injuries to both workers and bystanders.

Load Falling or Line Snapping: As tower cranes are high, there is a possibility that high winds or tight spaces can make the load fall. This is a great danger for everyone on the ground level. read more

By Maggie Haberman: Aug. 17, 2019

Thousands of union workers at a multibillion-dollar petrochemical plant being built outside Pittsburgh were given the choice of attending a speech by President Trump on Tuesday or staying away — and losing some of their pay for the week.

“Your attendance is not mandatory,” one of the construction site’s contractors wrote in rules for the speech that were shared with its employees, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which first reported on the matter. But the rules said that only those who arrived at 7 a.m., had their work IDs scanned and then stood waiting for the president for several hours would get paid for the time. read more

Royal Dutch Shell’s New Plastic Plant Stirs Debate

AUGUST 13, 2019

Royal Dutch Shell has announced plans to open a huge new plastic plant in Pittsburgh’s Beaver County. Not everyone is pleased with this development. Plastic Passion As reported by The New York Times, oil company Royal Dutch Shell is building a $6 billion plastic factory near Pittsburgh that will create 3.5 billion “tiny pellets that can be turned into items like phone cases, auto parts and food packaging.” While the factory would be a boost for the local economy, environmental activists argue that there is already far too much plastic in the world as it is, as many towns in America struggle with recycling. Re: Recycling Shell argues that the problem is not plastic, but plastic that is not properly disposed of. It donated to extend the hours of a local recycling center near the plant, but like in much of the country, Pennsylvania’s Beaver County has to limit the type of plastic it can accept, because there aren’t many buyers who want to repurpose it. Gas It Up This investment in plastic is seen as a move by both Shell and Pennsylvania to diversify, as the prices have fallen for the natural gas the area was known for, and the energy industry is looking for ways to get ahead of the demand for clean energy, low fuel prices and the increasing popularity of fuel-efficient automobiles. Petrochemical giants like Exxon Mobil and Dow have also made similar moves in recent years. Still, investors and analysts continue to see plastic as a risky investment, as shareholders are increasingly voicing concerns about plastic waste. -Michael Tedder Photo: Arnd Wiegmann / REUTERS read more

At approximately 5 a.m. on September 10, during heavy rains brought on by Tropical Storm Gordon, a methane gas pipeline run by Energy Transfer Partners in Beaver County was hit by a landslide and exploded. No lives were lost, but a home was destroyed, dozens were evacuated and several farm animals were killed in the blast.

The pipeline had been operating for one week.

Environmental groups in the Pittsburgh region say the incident raises significant questions about the long-term safety of pipelines and natural gas infrastructure all over Western Pennsylvania. read more

• Author: Jim Magill
• Editor: Pankti Mehta
• Commodity: Petrochemicals
• 10 Sep 2018 | 17:35 UTC

Houston — Shell’s plans to build a world-class ethane cracker in western Pennsylvania took a step forward Friday with the approval by the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of rate structures for the company’s proposed Falcon Ethane Pipeline system.

The approval allows Shell to move forward in its plans to build the 97-mile pipeline designed to carry ethane extracted from Marcellus and Utica gas produced in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

The Falcon Pipeline, with a proposed capacity of about 107,000 b/d, will originate at two ethane supply points in Ohio and one ethane supply point in Pennsylvania and will transport the ethane to delivery points in Ohio and Pennsylvania, including the 86,000 b/d ethane cracker that Shell proposes to build near Monaca, Pennsylvania. read more

Sep. 6, 2018 1:30 PM ET|By: Carl Surran, SA News Editor

By Jared Stonesifer : Posted Apr 3, 2018 at 8:56 PMUpdated Apr 3, 2018 at 8:56 PM

CENTER TWP. — Nearly 100 people turned out to a public hearing at Central Valley High School to voice their opinions on Shell Pipeline’s proposed Falcon ethane pipeline project.

If constructed, the pipeline would transport up to 107,000 barrels of ethane per day to Shell Chemicals’ $6 billion ethane cracker plant in Potter Township.

It would consist of two legs: one coming into western Beaver County from Ohio and West Virginia, and another coming into southern Beaver County through Allegheny County. The two legs will join south of the Potter Township plant. read more

By Jared Stonesifer : Posted Mar 28, 2018 at 5:00 PMUpdated Mar 28, 2018 at 5:00 PM 

Shell Chemicals has received nearly $4 million from the state to help the company perform improvements to a 10-mile stretch of railroad track between Aliquippa and Potter Township.

The money came from the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and the Rail Freight Assistance Program through the state Legislature.

In a news release announcing the money, Gov. Tom Wolf said Shell will receive $3.8 million “to transport construction materials for Shell’s plant and outbound products from the completed plant, which will improve the efficiency of operations and safety.” read more

By Jared Stonesifer 

Royal Dutch Shell expects its chemicals division to earn between $3.5 billion to $4 billion annually by 2025, and Beaver County’s ethane cracker plant will likely play a role in that.

Shell executives made those remarks Wednesday during an open house for investors. The event was designed to highlight the gains being made in Shell’s many downstream businesses, which includes the chemicals sector.

The company, which is in the midst of building a $6 billion cracker plant in Potter Township, has repeatedly maintained its Beaver County project will be ready for production sometime early in the next decade. read more

By Jared Stonesifer Posted Mar 9, 2018 at 5:00 PM 

The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing April 3 at Central Valley High School to discuss Shell Pipeline Co.’s Falcon ethane pipeline project.

CENTER TWP. — The state Department of Environmental Protection will hold a public hearing April 3 at Central Valley High School to discuss Shell Pipeline Co.’s Falcon ethane pipeline project.

The department decided last month to host a series of public hearings in the three counties in western Pennsylvania that will be impacted by the pipeline: Beaver, Allegheny and Washington. read more

Shell gives $1 million to CCBC for process technology program

Shell will give $1 million to the Community College of Beaver County to fortify CCBC’s process-technology program ahead of Shell’s ethane cracker being built a few miles away from campus. “Our partnership with the college has been developed and strengthened over the past several years and epitomizes the type of collaborative educational partnerships we strive to build in our communities,” said Shell Chemicals VP Hilary Mercer.

FULL ARTICLE

RELATED TRIB-LIVE ARTICLE

BRIAN BOWLING | Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018, 11:09 a.m. read more

By Paul J. Gough  –  Reporter, Pittsburgh Business Times

Jan 29, 2018, 11:04am EST Updated Jan 29, 2018, 8:47pm

A coalition of environmental groups is raising concerns about the route of the pipeline Shell Chemicals is using to carry ethane to its petrochemical plant under construction in Beaver County.

FracTracker Alliance announced Monday its own environmental study of the route of the 97-mile Falcon Pipeline through 22 towns in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia. The study said 550 houses, 20 businesses, 240 wells and five schools are among 1,000 feet of the pipeline as well as three bodies of water in the Ambridge Reservoir watershed. read more

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is inviting public comments on a proposed water obstruction and encroachment permits for a nearly 60 mile ethane pipeline by the Shell Pipeline Company. Royal Dutch Shell is building the $6 billion facility on the Ohio River in Beaver with a view toward using ethane from the Marcellus shale play and processing it into ethylene and, finally, polyethylene for the plastics industry.

The 12-inch pipeline would connect the Shell ethane plant in Beaver County with facilities in other parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, according to DEP. read more

By Jared Stonesifer: Posted Jan 17, 2018 at 2:00 PMUpdated Jan 17, 2018 at 2:02 PM

POTTER TWP. — Construction on Shell Chemicals’ ethane cracker plant is ahead of schedule, with more than 1,800 workers currently on site, according to a local building trades official.

Mike McDonald, president of the Beaver County Building and Construction Trades Council, said he met with Shell officials recently to discuss the progress on the $6 billion cracker plant in Potter Township. read more

PETER SMITH

An umbrella group for 140 Presbyterian churches in Allegheny County is calling for a halt to the construction of a sprawling petrochemical plant in neighboring Beaver County, saying it would worsen already high levels of pollution and cancer risk in Southwestern Pennsylvania. 

“We are part of a faith tradition that has affirmed our responsibility to care for the earth as our home and care for all people, especially our most vulnerable populations,” says a letter signed by officials of the Pittsburgh Presbytery, representing more than 28,000 members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Allegheny County.

“This plant, and subsequent plants that are planned for the Ohio Valley, will be mass producing plastic products that have been linked to the death of animals and the diminishment of fragile natural habitats,” said the letter, approved by presbytery representatives at their December meeting. read more

By Jared Stonesifer: Posted Dec 1, 2017 at 3:44 PM

Shell Chemicals has launched a dedicated website where job applicants can peruse career opportunities at the company’s future ethane cracker plant in Potter Township.

Shell Chemicals has launched a dedicated website where job applicants can peruse career opportunities at the company’s future ethane cracker plant in Potter Township.

The website, www.shell.us/pajobs, will link job applicants to 16 different subsets of jobs, ranging from boilermakers and electrical engineers to heavy-equipment operators and safety specialists. read more

The proposed route of the 97-mile Falcon Pipeline is shown above

By Jared Stonesifer: Posted Nov 21, 2017 at 11:25 AMUpdated Nov 21, 2017 at 12:12 PM

Shell Pipeline Co. has contracted with an additional 10 local landowners to use their properties during construction of the 97-mile Falcon Ethane pipeline.

Shell Pipeline Co. has contracted with an additional 10 local landowners to use their properties during construction of the 97-mile Falcon Ethane pipeline.

According to the Beaver County recorder of deeds, Shell Pipeline secured 10 temporary road-access agreements with landowners in the southwestern portion of the county. The company intends to use the properties during construction of the ethane pipeline, which is expected to feed up to 107,000 barrels of ethane daily into Shell’s $6 billion cracker plant in Potter Township. read more

By Jared Stonesifer Posted Nov 16, 2017 at 6:25 PMUpdated Nov 16, 2017 at 6:25 PM

Officials in Belmont County, Ohio, are eagerly awaiting a final investment decision on a cracker plant that could be built there but, in the meantime, they are learning everything they can from local officials who’ve already been through the process.

Officials in Belmont County, Ohio, are eagerly awaiting a final investment decision on a cracker plant that could be built there, but in the meantime, they are learning everything they can from local officials who’ve already been through the process. read more

Mark Dixon discussed the hazards of having an ethane cracker plant close to Pittsburgh during a talk in the William Pitt Union Assembly Room Wednesday evening. (Photo by Issi Glatts | Staff Photographer)

Remy Samuels: Staff Writer: November 16, 2017

When Mark Dixon found out Shell Oil Company planned to build a petrochemical plant in nearby Beaver County, he immediately thought of the pollution and environmental devastation that would soon take place there.

“It really pissed me off,” Dixon said. read more

By Jared Stonesifer: Posted Nov 15, 2017 at 5:00 PMUpdated Nov 15, 2017 at 5:08 PM

Jim Palmer, president of the Beaver County Corporation for Economic Development, said CED is acquiring about 54 acres that sit between the Shell site and the BASF and NOVA Chemicals properties.

The sale of the land, currently owned by the Lyondell Environmental Custodial Trust, is expected to close later this month. Palmer on Tuesday declined to disclose the sale price.

While Shell isn’t technically the buyer of the land, the company is underwriting the cost of CED acquiring the land. Under the agreement, CED will retain ownership but will sign a land covenant stating that no development of any kind can take place on the property. read more

Callum Turcan: Nov 15, 2017

Summary

• Royal Dutch Shell generates free cash flow in Q3.
• Outlook for Q4, even in light of impending capex increase, looks bright due to Brent rallying.
• Over $10 billion in net debt reduction since the end of Q3 2016.
• Overview of Q3 results and what to expect going forward.

Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE:RDS.A) (NYSE:RDS.B) has come a long way since it bottomed out in early-2016. Its latest earnings report reinforced the notion that when Brent is trading in the $50s, Shell’s cash flow position becomes balanced. Cash flow neutrality is the key breakeven point for the industry in the current environment, as oil & gas giants need to show that they can cover capital expenditures and large dividends through organic means at realistic prices. Let’s check out how Royal Dutch Shell did in a low $50s Brent world, with an eye on organic cash inflows and outflows. read more

By SARAH BODEN: 14November 2017

A public health researcher delivered a dire warning on Monday during a panel on the implications of the planned Royal Dutch Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County.

“When we allow industry to get way out in front of public health and environmental oversight, we end up counting bodies,” said Dr. Brian Schwartz of the Geisinger Center for Health Research in Montour County.

Schwartz studies how environmental changes caused by energy exploitation activities, such as fracking, affect public health. He made his comments during the “Shale and Public Health” conference at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School Of Public Health, an event organized by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. read more

HOUSTON, Nov. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Shell Chemical Appalachia LLC (Shell) today announced the official start of the main construction phase of its major petrochemicals complex in Potter Township, Pennsylvania. This follows the successful completion of the site preparation and detailed design and engineering work. The final investment decision was taken in June 2016, with commercial production expected to begin early next decade.

The early works program has been a significant project. Work included building bridges, relocating a state highway, improving existing interchanges, repositioning a rail line, and preparing foundations for the new complex. The site is now ready for the main construction to start. read more

By Jared Stonesifer : Posted Nov 6, 2017 at 6:00 PM

Hilary Mercer, a native of Manchester, England who has spent the last 30 years working for Royal Dutch Shell in a variety of roles, has assumed the role of vice president for the local Shell project. She replaced Ate Visser, who had served as vice president of the project since 2014.

In that capacity, she will oversee all aspects of the project, from construction of the plant and safety issues to production and customer relations. read more

By Jared Stonesifer: Oct 17, 2017 

Royal Dutch Shell is pursuing a massive shift in its business model by focusing heavily on the petrochemical business, something that has its roots right here in Beaver County.

Shell, the multi-national oil and gas giant that is one of the largest companies in the world, will have three new petrochemical projects come online early next decade. In addition to the local cracker project, Shell is making other chemical-sector investments in Louisiana and another in China. read more

Jillian Ambrose: 17 OCTOBER 2017 • 11:24AM

Royal Dutch Shell will begin construction of a new $10bn petrochemicals site in the gas-rich Marcellus shale basin in the US within the next ten weeks as part of a radical growth plan for its petrochemicals business.

The oil major told investors that global demand for petrochemicals – which are used to manufacture the raw materials used to make plastics, paints and textiles – is set to grow by around 50pc by the end of the decade, making it a key area for the company’s growth. read more