Chemicals

We have more than 80 years of experience in the chemicals industry and produce and supply 17 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of chemicals to about 1,000 large industrial customers worldwide. Our plants produce a range of base and intermediate chemicals. We have the capacity to produce over 6 mtpa of ethylene.

Our products are used to make numerous everyday items, from clothing and cars to detergents and bicycle helmets.

Over many decades we have developed proprietary technologies, processes and catalysts that enable us to compete strongly in our core petrochemical markets. For example, Shell Chemicals has launched Shell gas-to-liquids (GTL) fluids and solvents, which are high-purity paraffinic fluids and solvents made from GTL products manufactured at our Pearl facility in Qatar. We are the first company to offer a range of natural gas-based fluids and solvents to the chemicals industry worldwide.

We will continue to focus on increasing synergies between our petrochemical plants, refineries, Integrated Gas and Upstream business to increase supplies of the best available feedstock to our facilities.

Our Chemicals strategy is based on investment at existing sites to increase capacity, improve efficiency and integration, and to strengthen our feedstock sources. Securing new integrated growth projects and developing technologies to convert gas to chemicals are also critical strategy components.

In Singapore, in early 2015, we debottlenecked our ethylene cracker on Pulau Bukom (Bukom Island). This has increased our olefins and aromatics production capacity at Bukom by more than 20%. We also successfully started up a new 140 thousand tonne per annum (ktpa) high-purity ethylene oxide purification unit and a new 140 ktpa ethoxylates unit at Jurong Island. These units more than double the production capacity of both chemical products at Jurong.