Poor Economics for Virgin Plastics: Petrochemicals Will Not Provide Sustainable Business Opportunities in Appalachia
A convergence of market forces casts a dark shadow over the financial outlook of petrochemical development in Appalachia.
PTTGCA’s “indefinite delay” reminds Ohio Valley leaders of the need for a viable economic development strategy
According to a recent report from S&P Global/Platts, “PTTGC America’s final investment decision on a new petrochemical complex in southeast Ohio remains on indefinite hold until the company secures a new partner in the project, the company said in an email Aug. 25.” The existence of an indefinite delay, which the company publicly denied in […]
Community groups urge U.S. Department of Energy to halt gas, ethane development
More than one hundred environmental and community advocates described the devastating threats to public health and safety posed by petrochemical development in Appalachia and the Gulf South during a public hearing organized by the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management on Tuesday. According to the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon […]
How the Department of Energy Can Help Mitigate Economic and Environmental Damage from Petrochemical Development and Fracking
Senior Researcher Sean O’Leary explained the damaging effects of shale gas activity and prospective petrochemical development on the environment, residents’ wellbeing, and local economic growth in a public-facing presentation for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management earlier this week. The presentation informed the Department of Energy’s public meeting to […]
FIDdlesticks: Why PTTGC can’t make up its mind
Don’t look now, but it’s late-June – season of the summer solstice and the now annual announcement by PTTGC that, despite previous assurances, it must yet again delay a final investment decision on the proposed ethane cracker in Belmont County, Ohio. Recall that in February an uproar arose when the Bangkok Post reported that PTTGC […]
The Future of the Ohio River Is in Sri Lanka
To see the future of the Ohio River you can look to a place that is almost its antipode: the tropical coastal waters of Sri Lanka. It’s there, some 9,000 miles away as the crow flies, that residents have recently discovered the scourge of pollution from the tiny resin pellets that are used to make plastic […]
NEW REPORT: Future Appalachian Shale Gas Drilling Unprofitable and Petrochemical Buildout Unlikely
JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, March 23, 2021 – New gas field developments in Appalachia are unlikely to be profitable as the US energy system undergoes rapid decarbonization, according to a new report from the Stockholm Environment Institute’s US Center (SEI) and the Ohio River Valley Institute. Rosy industry projections of a gas-fueled petrochemical buildout led many Appalachian […]
Critical Condition: “The Shale Crescent” and the Dream of an Appalachian Petrochemical Boom
On February 3rd, 2021, the Ohio River Valley Institute convened a forum of experts from finance, policymaking, and the petrochemical industry to assess the future prospects for the creation of a petrochemical hub in the greater Ohio Valley. View a recording of the forum here. The Shale Crescent Vision For more than a decade, policymakers […]
Proposed Belmont County, OH ethane cracker project postponed . . . again
The Ohio River Valley Institute issued the following press release earlier today. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Newest delay for Belmont County cracker reinforces need for new economic development strategies JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, February 18, 2021 – Today’s statement in the Bangkok Post by PTTGC chief executive Kongkrapan Intarajang saying the company will need more time to find […]
Plastic Market Trends Are Bad News for Appalachia Cracker Plans
The Ohio Valley petrochemical buildout is in big trouble. You know it when you hear things like this: “The Zeitgeist has shifted, and this is a permanent shift.” Those are not the words of an anti-fracking activist or an ocean conversation group. That’s the petrochemical industry talking. More precisely, it is ICIS analyst John Richardson […]