Petrochemicals & Plastics
Schemes to produce plastics from fracked gas have largely failed in Appalachia.
Petrochemical development hasn’t generated economic prosperity in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, research shows, and market headwinds make new buildout unlikely. Learn more about the Ohio River Valley Institute’s research on the petrochemicals industry below.
Photo: Shell’s petrochemicals complex in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Mark Dixon, 2022
“Years ago, the oil and gas industry predicted petrochemical development would sweep across Appalachia, creating tens of thousands of jobs.
Those plans largely fizzled.”
Reports:
All research on Petrochemicals & Plastics:
An Economic Impact Analysis of a Planned Plastics Pyrolysis Facility in Follansbee, West Virginia
A pyrolysis project in Follansbee, WV is unlikely to create many jobs or generate much tax revenue for local and state budgets, modeling suggests.
The Ammonia Industry Expansion Begins To Falter
Less than three months after its July passage, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is already reducing the planned expansion of ammonia and hydrogen production. ORVI’s March 2025 report on the ammonia industry found that if all the proposed facilities as of October 2024...
Beaver County’s Economy Flounders while Neighboring Counties Prosper
Beaver County, home to Shell’s $14B plastics plant, lags behind neighboring counties in job and business growth.
A Month from Hell
Key Points Northern Appalachia has, for a decade and a half, premised its economic development strategies on a strategic triad of natural gas, petrochemicals, and most recently hydrogen. Natural gas expansion has proven itself incapable of delivering on promises of...
The Carbon Implications of Ammonia Production
The US is on the verge of an ammonia ‘boom,’ which could expand fracking and incentivize risky carbon storage infrastructure. But as with any boom, industrial expansion will eventually bring a bust. At least 37 new projects have been proposed around the country which...
Beaver County Data Analysis: 2025 Update
Beaver County has seen double-digit declines in GDP & employment since Shell’s petrochemical complex was announced in 2012.
Chemical Recycling: A False Promise for the Ohio River Valley
Chemical recycling is a false solution that ignores health impacts and sidesteps technical and economic headwinds.
Revisiting Pennsylvania’s Bad Bet
The Shell Polymers Monaca petrochemicals complex shadowing the banks of the Ohio River in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has become something of a symbol in Appalachia. To the many families nearby, it represents a constant, draconic threat, belching episodic flames,...
Giving Away the Future
Billions in ITEP tax incentives have failed to grow jobs and personal incomes in Louisiana.