First test production of plastic pellets a milestone for Heartland Petrochemical Complex

The $4.3-billion Heartland Petrochemical Complex, which has been under construction northeast of Edmonton since 2018, has produced its first plastic pellets.
Owner and operator Inter Pipeline Ltd. said Tuesday the newly commissioned facility has been producing test pellets steadily since late June, an important milestone en route to the expected start of full commercial operation sometime this fall.
The Heartland Petrochemical Complex will convert Alberta propane into 525,000 tonnes per year of polypropylene beads, an easily transported form of plastic that is used in the manufacturing of a wide range of finished products.
Steven Noble, spokesman for Calgary-based Inter Pipeline, said the facility will be the first integrated propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene production facility in North America. He said approximately 70 per cent of Heartland's total production capacity has been already contracted out to long-term customers.
"Through the duration of the project's construction, we've seen demand for polypropylene increase significantly ... including at one point hitting an all-time record (market price)," Noble said in an interview. "The demand that we initially forecast certainly hasn't gone away."
The Heartland facility is being built with the support of a $408-million grant from Alberta's provincial government. The cash grant, part of an incentive program aimed at growing the province's petrochemicals sector, is to be paid to Inter Pipeline in equal instalments over three years once the complex is operational.
Noble said by creating a new market for propane, the Heartland facility is an example of how natural resource development in Alberta is diversifying.
"The fact that we're now looking at our raw resources in a different way, and figuring out different ways to get value out of them and create other refined products right here at home ... is really the part of the story that everyone here is excited about," he said.
The Heartland Petrochemical Complex is expected to employ 300 people once fully operational.
The polypropylene produced at the facility will be branded as Heartland Polymers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Federal dental insurance program to be phased in over 2024, benefits to start in May
The new federal dental insurance plan will be phased in gradually over 2024, with the first claims likely to be processed in May, government officials said ahead of a formal announcement scheduled for Monday morning.
'We're trying not to break down': Sask. family desperate to find their loved one last seen in Toronto
The family of 39-year-old Lesley Sparvier has been trying to find and locate her after she left home on foot in Kahkewistahaw First Nation, Sask. on Nov. 28.
Buckingham Palace releases this year’s Christmas card
Buckingham Palace released an image of the Christmas card that King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be sending out this year.
Iowa man arrested in the death of a Nebraska Catholic priest
A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a Catholic priest who was attacked over the weekend in a church rectory in a small Nebraska community, authorities said.
The Université de Moncton will not be getting a new name
The board of New Brunswick's Universite de Moncton has decided not to change the school's name despite concerns about its connection to a problematic historical figure.
Trump says he won't testify Monday at his New York fraud trial and sees no need to appear again
Donald Trump said Sunday he has decided against testifying for a second time at his New York civil fraud trial, posting on social media that he "VERY SUCCESSFULLY & CONCLUSIVELY" testified last month and saw no need to appear again.
Saskatchewan is a safe space to buy 'sustainable oil,' Scott Moe says
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is working hard to use a global climate change conference as an opportunity to market the province’s non-renewable resources.
LCBO reveals what Ontarians drank the most this year
When it came to what Ontarians brought home during their liquor runs at the LCBO, the company said customers went for options that gave them more bang for their buck.
Al Gore calls UAE hosting COP28 'ridiculous,' slams oil CEO appointed to lead climate talks
Climate advocate and former Vice President Al Gore on Sunday called into question the decision to hold the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, a leading producer of the world’s oil.