BP plans to invest more $200 million to upgrade its purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants at Cooper River, S.C., and Geel, Belgium, the company said in a statement on Nov. 17. The investments will make the facilities two of the most efficient PTA manufacturing facilities in the world.
PTA is the raw material used to make polyester which is found in consumer goods ranging from fabrics to food and beverage containers. The BP Cooper River site is the largest PTA producer in the Americas and BP Geel is the largest in Europe. Through upgrades to the facilities, BP expects to greatly improve feedstock and energy efficiency thus reducing both variable and fixed cost and greenhouse gas emissions.
The PTA1 unit at BP’s Cooper River facility—one of two units there—is expected to be upgraded by mid-2016. The project is expected to create around 200 construction jobs at its peak and indirectly support many more jobs in the region. When the project is completed, annual greenhouse gas reductions should equate to eliminating the electricity and heating emissions of about 2,000 typical U.S. households.
The Geel upgrade is expected to create around 100 construction jobs and will also indirectly benefit other businesses in the area. BP expects that Geel’s PTA3 unit will be upgraded by the end of 2015, with PTA2 following in 2016. The annual greenhouse gas reductions should equate to eliminating the electricity and heating emissions of 1,500 typical Belgium households.
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