Alberta continues to make its mark in ESG as Inter Pipeline designs a sustainable solution in the petrochemical sector  

Earlier this month, Inter Pipeline announced its progressive steps towards sustainability in the petrochemical sector as production began at the $4 billion Heartland Petrochemical Complex northeast of Edmonton.  

The Heartland Petrochemical Complex will be the first facility in North America to integrate propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene production, which is a process that will convert Alberta propane into 525,000 tonnes of polypropylene pellets per year. Their innovative technology process is designed to create recyclable polypropylene, becoming the most greenhouse gas efficient polypropylene producer in the world. 

Since late June, the complex has been successfully producing its first pellets, marketed as Heartland Polymers to be ready for commercialization in their third quarter of this year. By producing these products in Alberta, Inter Pipeline will no longer need to export its raw products to buy back the high valued products – they can facilitate full production here and export those products around the world.  

Sustainability and the environment are top of mind for many industry leaders around the world, and it’s no doubt Inter Pipeline has set the bar high for global expectations in the petrochemical sector. To drastically reduce its carbon footprint compared to similar complexes around the world, the Heartland Petrochemical Complex utilizes a cogeneration unit and state of the art design to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and an air-cooling system versus a water-cooling system to reduce nearly 85 per cent of its water waste. 

We are proud to be working alongside Inter Pipeline and supporting the Heartland Petrochemical Complex. Their work is paving the way for future expectations in the sector and setting a new standard of sustainability for similar products on the market.  

This innovative project highlights Alberta’s capability to help companies meet and achieve their goals in ESG (environmental, social and governance), while demonstrating the province’s readiness for large-scale investments in its growing sectors.