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ethane cracker plant

Pennsylvania Lured Shell to the State With a $1.65 Billion Tax Break. Now the Company Wants to Sell Its Plant

Looking back, “this was a terrible investment of taxpayer money,” one analyst said.

By Kiley Bense

 The Shell plant in Beaver County, Pa., produces polyethylene, a type of single-use plastic, using ethane. Credit: Mark Dixon/CC BY 2.0
Shell said April 25 that it would start using its “elevated flare this afternoon” at its Pennsylvania plastics plant and expected the work to continue through the weekend. This image was taken during that period. Credit: Hilary Starcher-O’Toole

Nighttime Flaring at Shell Plastics Plant Lit Up Beaver County ‘Like Dawn’

By Kiley Bense
A view of the Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County, Pa. Credit: Mark Dixon/CC BY 2.0

New Data Shows Giant Petrochemical Plant Has Failed to Boost Local Economy

By Jon Hurdle
The Shell ethane cracker plant in Beaver County was fined $10 million for air quality violations in May 2023. Credit: Mark Dixon/CC BY 2.0 Deed

Behind the Scenes: How a Plastics Plant Has Plagued a Pennsylvania County

By Kiley Price
The Shell plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania takes ethane and heats it to extremely high temperatures, “cracking” the molecular bonds holding it together to form ethylene and polyethylene pellets called nurdles. Credit: Mark Dixon/CC BY 2.0 Deed

A Plastics Plant Promised Pennsylvania Prosperity, but to Some Residents It’s Become a ‘Shockingly Bad’ Neighbor

By Kiley Bense

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