Shell completes ethylene unit upgrade, expansion at Singapore complex

Royal Dutch Shell has completed a revamp and upgrade of its Singapore ethane cracker, the company announced on Thursday.

The project increased production for the 800,000-tpy ethylene plant on Bukom Island by 20%. The ethylene and olefins unit is also integrated with Shell’s 500,000-bpd refinery.

"This project reinforces the refining chemicals integration, including feedstock, product and logistics, that we put in place when we completed the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex project," said Graham Van't Hoff, executive vice president at Shell Chemicals.

The revamp project will support expansion of other intermediate product facilities located on nearby Jurong Island, including Shell’s mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) plant and third-party facilities.

The Bukom Island ethylene cracker is a flexible-feed unit and can process both naphtha and LPG.

The recent upgrade also reduced energy consumption by around 7% and carbon dioxide emissions by 11%, according to Shell officials.