With over 4,500 employees in 36 related facilities, Sarnia-Lambton is home to one of North America’s most well established Petrochemical and Refined Petroleum centres, and the largest in Ontario. With six of the world’s top fifteen chemical producers operating facilities in the area, the sector has a track record dating back to North America’s first commercial oil field near Oil Springs, in Lambton County.

The Oil Springs Industrial Landscape is in the process of applying to be on Canada’s Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage Sites, helping to secure an important part of Sarnia-Lambton’s legacy. After a century-and-a-half, Sarnia-Lambton continues to thrive in the petrochemical and refining sector. The growth of the industry includes a significant and diverse range of producers of chemicals, plastics, synthetic rubber and variety of oil-based products.

As our area’s number one sector, the local petrochemical and refined petroleum industries provide a strong base of advantages for new chemical companies and facilities.

For more information on the Sarnia-Lambton’s petrochemical and refined petroleum industry see:

SLEP Petrochemical and Refining Complex Booklet

PDH/polypropylene Investment Study

In 2015, the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership commissioned a study on the viability of a new PDH/polypropylene investment in Sarnia-Lambton as well as the returns (IRR) under the right conditions. The key to the viability of the project is propane supply and cost from the Marcellus and Utica shale gas which is readily available in Sarnia-Lambton.

To read this study click the following link – Sarnia-Lambton Propylene Investment Opportunity Study Download

 

Infrastructure to Support Long-Term Growth

  • Energy – Electricity is the driver of industry and Sarnia-Lambton has an extensive Power Infrastructure. Our community has over 2,300 MW of natural gas based electrical generating capacity, 120 MW of solar capacity and 420 MW of proposed wind generation capacity. An additional 300 MW natural gas electrical generation station is currently in the early stages of construction.TSL-Enbridge Photo courtesy of Lou Sprenger & Tourism Sarnia-Lambton
  • Natural Gas – Union Gas’s Dawn Facility is the largest underground natural gas storage facility in Canada, supplying much of the needs of eastern Canada.
  • Water – Lambton Area Water Supply (LAWS) is the main water distribution company, sourcing water from Lake Huron and distributing it throughout Sarnia-Lambton (capacity of 181,844 m³/day).
  • Pipelines – Major pipelines bring crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, and ethane to the region, and a further network of pipelines facilitates transfer of intermediate feed stocks and raw materials from one company to another within Sarnia-Lambton. Access is provided to raw materials from the Marcellus Shale Basin in the northeastern U.S., Western Canada, the U.S. Gulf Coast and offshore from the Atlantic Seaboard.
  • Storage – Underground salt caverns allow for the storage of significant volumes of products.
  • Process Water – The St. Clair River provides cooling and process water and is a vital link on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

 

Multiple Routes to Multiple Markets

BridgeViewMarinaCasino-0204Through various transportation modes, Sarnia-Lambton provides immediate access to key North American and world markets:

  • Land – Highway 402 connects Sarnia-Lambton with Ontario’s 400-series highway system to the east and Michigan’s Interstate 94/69/75 network via the international Blue Water Bridge to the west.
  • Rail – While serviced by CN North America and CSX Transportation, Sarnia-Lambton hosts Canada’s second largest international rail yard, and provides access to the St. Clair rail tunnel, connecting Sarnia with Michigan.
  • Ship – Bordered by water and a link in the St. Lawrence Seaway system, Sarnia-Lambton is home to the Port of Sarnia, ship fuelling and repair facilities, and several deep water docking locations.

 

Multinational Companies Highlight the Sector in Sarnia-Lambtonwoman turning valve

CF Industries – converts air and natural gas into a variety of nitrogen-based chemicals for both agricultural and industrial applications to produce 1.2 million tonnes of products such as anhydrous and aqua ammonia, urea, nitric acid and nitrogen solutions.

Imperial Oil Products & Chemical Products – operates a refinery with a capacity of 119,000 barrels a day. The chemical operations annually produce more than one million tonnes of polyethylene, specialized solvents, olefins, aromatics and plasticizer feedstocks.

ARLANXEO Canada Inc. – operates a major synthetic rubber production facility in Sarnia for Butyl Rubber (regular butyl, chlorobutyl, and bromobutyl) with an annual capacity of 150,000 tons.  The site also manufactures fossil resources and bio-based raw materials.

NOVA Chemicals – operates three manufacturing facilities in Sarnia-Lambton. These sites produce ethylene and co-products including propylene, butadiene and benzene (Corunna),  low-density and high-density polyethylene resins (Moore), and high-density and linear-low-density polyethylene resin (St. Clair).

Shell Canada – operations a refinery which produces gasoline, distillates, liquid petroleum gas, heavy oils, pure chemicals and solvents from 75,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Suncor Energy Company – operates a refinery with a capacity of 80,000 barrels per day. Products from this site include fuel related products such as gasoline, kerosene, jet and diesel fuels.

 

Partnerships, Collaborations, and Industry Support

Sarnia-Lambton’s Petrochemical and Refined Petroleum centre utilizes a strong network of organizations that contribute to the success of the sector

 

Additional Links