Dow Chemical reports emissions event from polyethylene unit startup at Freeport, Texas: TCEQ

Dow Chemical reported an emissions event while starting up its polyethylene 4 unit in Freeport, Texas, to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ.

The event occurred "during startup from a shutdown due to severe freeze conditions and natural gas curtailment," Dow Chemical said in the filing with TCEQ on March 10.

The company was not available for immediate comment March 11.

The emissions event began March 9 at 4:06 pm and lasted two minutes.

The Freeport site is home to three crackers with a total capacity of 3.68 million mt/year, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics data.

Export US spot polyethylene prices seemed unaffected by the startup March 10 as the market remained quiet due to limited producer availability and low production rates from US producers.