Nova Chemicals Surpasses 65% Milestone on Ontario Polyolefins Expansion, Boosting Capacity and Sustainability

Nova Chemicals, with its U.S. office in Pittsburgh, announced that its second Advanced Sclairtech Technology (AST) unit and the third phase of the Corunna Cracker Expansion Project in Ontario have each crossed the 65 % completion threshold.

The first of eight electrical substations was successfully energized in March, and the company projects that full start‑up activities for both projects will begin in late 2022, following a scheduled Corunna Site turnaround slated for spring 2022.

The new AST polyethylene unit, situated at the Rokeby Site in St. Clair Township, will deliver roughly 1 billion pounds per year of high‑performance polyethylene. The cracker expansion will supply ethylene feedstock to the new facility, increasing the existing unit’s capacity by more than 50 %.

In addition, the octene copolymer AST facility will expand Nova’s portfolio of differentiated high‑performance resins, secure supply for customers, and introduce a broader range of products designed to meet the growing demand for recyclable plastics.

The combined investment of approximately CAD 2.5 billion delivers state‑of‑the‑art technology, high‑paying jobs, and long‑term resilience to the region. Since the projects began in late 2017, Nova has contributed roughly CAD 1.1 billion to the provincial economy through labor and materials.

Today the Sarnia‑Lambton region hosts three manufacturing facilities and a corporate office. The Corunna Site produces 1.8 billion pounds of ethylene and about 250 million pounds of coproducts annually, supplying feedstock to the Moore Site and St. Clair River Sites, which convert the ethylene into 1.38 billion pounds of polyethylene. Ethane—derived from natural gas—is the primary feedstock for ethylene production at Corunna.

“We’re proud to bring Canadian ingenuity to the North American and global marketplace, especially as the plastics and chemicals landscape evolves worldwide,” said Luis Sierra, Nova Chemicals’ president and CEO. “Nova will continue to innovate in building a circular economy for plastics—reducing waste and delivering premium‑value, sustainable packaging solutions. The COVID‑19 pandemic and severe cold weather in February on the U.S. Gulf Coast have highlighted how our products and locations can secure supply and broaden choice for customers.”