NOVA Chemicals is investing $250 million to convert its Sarnia-Lambton Corunna plant to natural gas liquids (NGLs) feedstock from the Marcellus shale basin in the USA. 

In NOVA Chemicals' May 26th "First Quarter 2011 Earning Results" conference call, CEO Randy Woelfel noted that they expect ethane to be the site's primary feed in the future, complemented by other NGL components. 

The company expects the Corunna facility to be taking initial volumes of ethane in 2013, with the upgrade to be completed by the end of that year. NOVA has signed preliminary agreements with two key Marcellus Shale players to provide ethane to the plant.

On May 19th the Sarnia-Lambton Shale Gas Conference brought 100 industry experts from across North America to Sarnia-Lambton to explore the benefits that the new Marcellus feedstock can bring to the petrochemical industry. 

Sarnia-Lambton is home to a global petrochemical and refining centre, and a common theme throughout the one-day event was the great potential that the Marcellus-sourced ethane has for Sarnia-Lambton's petrochemical industries.

NOVA's upcoming conversion of its Sarnia-Lambton Corunna plant is solid evidence that the potential is being realized.

Sarnia-Lambton Ontario and Alberta's Industrial Heartland may be separated by over 3,000 km., but the two global petrochemical centres are not letting a little thing like distance keep them apart.

They have joined forces to initiate a new age of collaboration.

Meeting last month in Alberta's Industrial Heartland, representatives from both areas focused on fostering the relationship forged between them in the past by government and industry.  They are exploring long term actions to jointly further enhance both their respective areas and Canada's petrochemical industry as a whole.

The Sarnia-Lambton Refining and Petrochemical Complex, located in the Great Lakes Industrial Corridor, is the site of Canada's first crude oil discovery in 1857, while Alberta's Industrial Heartland borders the Edmonton Capital Region south of the Alberta Oil Sands, the world's third largest supply of oil reserves.

Focused on a common goal of industrial excellence, an alliance between the two global petrochemical hubs will strongly position them in international markets, as well as create a united entity when working with provincial and federal governments within Canada.

At times the two petrochemical areas compete for investment dollars but, despite this element of competition, the two regions are collaborating in a variety of ways. Enhancing and promoting the entire energy sector value chain tops the list, including upgrading bitumen, bioenergy, and renewable energy. Streamlining regulatory and assessment requirements will hopefully improve industry's global competitiveness, as will enhancing rail service. Labour mobility was identified as an important topic, in addition to financing and incentives for the research, development and commercialization of new energy technologies. As the two regions build on their alliance, many more topics are certain to emerge as key in boosting Canada's petrochemical competitiveness.

The collaboration efforts were spearheaded by Senator Elaine McCoy and Dr. Clement Bowman, former President of the Alberta Research Council.

Dr. Clem Bowman

"This collaboration between two of Canada's major energy clusters represents an important commitment towards the vision of Canada as a sustainable energy superpower," noted Dr. Bowman. "It provides a major stimulus to upgrading Canada's energy resources to value-added products, and at the same time accelerates the introduction of technologies to improve environmental performance."

The meetings between the Sarnia-Lambton Refining and Petrochemical Complex and Alberta's Industrial Heartland are a productive first step to realizing increased collaboration between the two energy corridors. The two petrochemical regions have much to offer one another and plan to continue focusing on a new partnership commitment. Strengthening Canada's two premier petrochemical centres is good not only for Ontario and Alberta, but for Canada as a whole.

Thank you to Alberta's Industrial Heartland Association for article content.

The community was welcomed into the area's newest home at today's grand opening of the Lambton College Sustainable Smart Home.

Alternative Energy Engineering Technology student Thomas Chona discusses hot water monitoring  system at Smart  Home

The house, built on the Lambton College Sarnia-Lambton campus, will perform as a teaching lab, research centre, and as a community best practices resource. 

The new Smart Home will also play a large role in Lambton College's Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage research project. Through this research project the College and its partners are undertaking applied research, development and commercialization activities in the areas of renewable energy generation, conversion, storage, and supply.

Planning for the $1.2 million Smart Home began five years ago, with actual construction taking eight months.