NOVA Chemicals says it is on track to open two massive polyethylene plants in Sarnia by the end of next year.

The company issued a statement on April 12 in which it said that its second Advanced SCLAIRTECH technology (AST) unit and the third phase of the Corunna Cracker Expansion Project have each surpassed 65 percent completion.

With the news that the first of eight electrical substations were safely energized in March, the company now estimates that both projects will commence full start-up activities in late 2022.

The AST polyethylene unit, which is located St. Clair Township, will have a capacity of approximately one billion pounds per year. The cracker expansion will provide ethylene feedstock to the new AST facility, expanding the existing unit’s current capacity by more than 50 percent.

“We’re proud to bring Canadian ingenuity to the North American and global marketplace, especially as the plastics and chemicals landscape evolves around the world,” said Luis Sierra, president and CEO of NOVA Chemicals. “NOVA Chemicals will continue to be an innovator in developing a circular economy for plastics, which includes reducing plastic waste in our environment, by bringing new, premium-value plastics that support sustainable packaging solutions to the marketplace.”

The projects are valued at a combined $2.5 billion, and will enable NOVA to introduce new, premium polyethylene resins for recyclable packaging to North American and global markets.

Since work on the projects began in late 2017, NOVA Chemicals has invested approximately $1.1 billion to the provincial economy in labour and materials.

There are nearly 1,800 workers onsite on both projects, representing more than four million hours worked to date. An estimated 150 permanent full-time jobs will be created to operate and maintain the facilities.

“Our new octene copolymer AST facility will increase the volume of differentiated high-performance resins, provide our customers with supply assurance and introduce an expanded product slate designed to meet the increasing demand for easy to recycle products that help shape a better world,” said Sierra

NOVA Chemicals is the largest private-sector employer in Sarnia-Lambton. The company develops and manufactures chemicals and plastic resins for applications such as food packaging, caps & closures and e-commerce packaging. It runs three manufacturing facilities and one corporate office in the Sarnia-Lambton region.

“We are grateful for the resiliency and ongoing commitment of our employees, project team, contractors, and their families who are working to grow our business and shape the future of our Sarnia-Lambton community for generations to come. This workforce is building history right before us,” said vice-president of manufacturing Rob Thompson. “During unprecedented conditions everyone involved has worked diligently, adhering to strict government mandated COVID-19 protocols, to safely progress work on these two significant manufacturing projects.”