Nova reaches mechanical completion of Ontario projects

Calgary-based material supplier Nova Chemicals Corp. says that its second Advanced Sclairtech technology (AST2) facility and the third phase of the Corunna cracker expansion project have each reached mechanical completion.

In a news release, Nova officials said that the world-scale AST2 facility, located at the new Rokeby site in St. Clair Township, Ontario, will have a production capacity of approximately one billion pounds of polyethylene per year. The cracker expansion will provide ethylene feedstock to the new AST2 facility, they continued, expanding the existing cracker’s current capacity by more than 50 per cent.

“We’re pleased to have completed the construction phase of the projects and our team is now fully focused on safely completing post-construction activities prior to starting the commissioning phase of this flagship asset,” stated Rob Thompson, Nova’s vice president of manufacturing east. “During unprecedented conditions, everyone involved has worked diligently to bring our vision to reality and we look forward to celebrating the startup of the Rokeby Site with our stakeholders in 2023.”

Both projects represent what Nova calls “a significant investment” bringing new technology, jobs, and long-term economic viability to the region. Since the growth projects began in late 2017, Nova says it has added approximately $2 billion to the provincial economy and over 7,000 workers were involved in construction.

“Once the growth projects are fully commissioned and complete, an estimated 150 permanent full-time jobs will be added between direct hires and contractors at both facilities,” Nova said. “Post-construction commissioning activities at the Rokeby site are fully underway with several onsite unit operations in the startup phase.”

Nova’s Corunna site produces 1.8 billion pounds of ethylene and approximately 700 million pounds of co-products annually. Corunna provides feedstock to Nova’s Moore and St. Clair River sites, where they convert ethylene into up to 1.3 billion pounds of polyethylene per year. Ethane is the primary feedstock for ethylene production at the Corunna site.