COMMERCIAL Shell-I.C.I. A.N.Z. Link In Petro-Chemical Deal

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29102, 14 January 1960, Page 14

COMMERCIAL Shell-I.C.I. A.N.Z. Link In Petro-Chemical Deal

An agreement involving the construction of new and expanded petro-chemical plants in New South Wales has been reached between Shell Chemical (Australia) Pty.. Ltd., and Imperial Chemical Industries of Australia and New Zealand, Ltd, This was announced in a joint statement issued recently by the chairman of directors of the Shell group of companies in Australia (Mr J. R. C. Taylor) and the chairman and managing director of 1.C.1.A.N.Z. (Mr K. G. Begg), who added that the agreement was of great significance to the petro-chemical industry in Australia. Shell Chemical will erect an ethylene manufacturing and purification unit at Clyde, New South Wales, in association with Shell s refinery there. The ethylene so produced will be piped to I.CJ.A.N.Z. at Botany, New South Wales, where its immediate use will be in the manufacture of polythene—also known as polyethylene. The 1.C.1.A.N.Z. plan’ at Botany, already extended several

times, is currently being further enlarged, and the total investment represented 1.C.1.A.N.Z.’s extended facilities at Botany and Shell’s new ethylene plant at Clyde will be over £lom. Adequate supplies of ethylene will be available to meet 1.C.1.A.N.Z. and Shell requirements for many years to come. Construction of the new plant at Clyde is expected to start this year, and it should come on stream within two years. Wherever possible, locally manufactured material will be used in its construction.

Further Stage

The new ethylene plant at Clyde will be a further stage in the refinery expansion programme, the first part of which was a £9m rebuilding scheme completed last year. Polythene, one of the most remarkable and versatile of modern plastics, was discovered by 1.C.1. scientists ■in England, and its manufacture in Australia was begun by 1.C.1.A.N.Z. in 1957.

It finds a wide variety of applications for industrial and domestic purposes, such as film and plastic mouldings. New applications are constanly being developed, and world production has made the remarkable leap from 6000 tons in 1946 to 700.000 tons in 1958. A feature of the agreement reached by the two companies is that a portion of the polythene maufactured by 1.C.1.A.N.Z. will be marketed by Shell Chemical (Australia) Pty., Ltd. This marketing development, although new to Shell in Australia, is in line with current marketing activities of Shell Chemicals’ overseas associates.