SPECIAL ISSUE
MAY 2024
Forging the Future: Dow’s Ambition to Decarbonize & Grow Gets Underway in the Heartland
Dow’s Path2Zero expansion in Fort Saskatchewan will be the world’s first net-zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions petrochemical plant of its kind, cementing the Industrial Heartland region’s position as a crucial element of Alberta’s innovation ecosystem.
The project will grow ethylene and polyethylene capacity by 15 percent and decarbonize the Fort Saskatchewan site, contributing significantly to Dow’s 2030 emissions targets while meeting the growing demand for low carbon dioxide emissions solutions.
“Dow is proud to build and operate world-class facilities in the Industrial Heartland region,” says Don Cameron, Site Director of Alberta Operations and Vice-President of Dow Canada. “As we transform the site in the years ahead, we remain focused on maintaining safe and responsible operations and keeping the community informed about our progress.”
Why the Industrial Heartland
Key to Dow’s final investment decision to decarbonize and grow the Fort Saskatchewan site is the region’s access to low-cost natural gas and ethane, rail and export infrastructure, existing carbon transportation and storage infrastructure, and skilled workforce – along with government support. The project sends a strong message to global capital markets that Western Canada is an attractive region for world-scale investments.
What we can expect in 2024
The existing site in Fort Saskatchewan – Dow’s largest manufacturing site in Canada – will begin to be transformed in 2024 as site preparation and construction activities get underway.
The site’s design will feature expanded rail and logistics facilities, and new manufacturing plants for ethylene, polyethylene, and energy. A new warehouse (MRO Building) and administration building (Diamond Center) will be added near the site’s eastern entrance on Highway 15.
In April, the first piles that will support the foundation for the world’s first net zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions integrated ethylene cracker were installed, marking a milestone for the Path2Zero project.
The site’s construction workforce is expected to reach approximately 500 by mid-year and 1,000 by year-end. Construction activities will include the installation of piping, fiber optic, new construction gates, and piling.
Dow has completed a Traffic Impact Assessment to minimize potential impacts to the community. Recommendations from this study will guide Dow’s strategies for managing construction traffic throughout the project, which may include offering busing or park-and-ride locations during peak volumes.
Economic and community impacts
According to ATB Insights, the Path2Zero project will add 0.2 - 0.3 percentage points to real GDP growth in 2024, and another 0.1-0.2 percentage points to growth in 2025. Construction of the new facilities will directly support jobs in Alberta during the construction phase and on an ongoing basis through new and expanded operations. At present, it is estimated that more than 6,000 construction workers will be on the project at the peak and approximately 400 to 500 new Dow full-time jobs will be brought on at full run rate. Using the industry multiplier, an additional 2,000-3,000 jobs will be created.
Look for Dow at Life in the Heartland events throughout 2024. Visit Dow Canada’s website or follow our channels on Facebook and X for more.
MAY 2024
Emergency Preparedness Week
This year, Emergency Preparedness Week took place May 5th - 11th across Canada, and the theme for 2024 was Know Your Risks. Risks across Alberta include drought, epidemic, fire, flood, hazardous material release, severe storms and tornados, and terrorism or human intentional acts.
There are also human unintentional acts that have detrimental consequences. One of these is ground disturbance resulting in damage to underground infrastructure, like pipelines and utilities. Each year in Canada, damages from contact with underground utility lines cost around $1 Billion.
There is inherent danger in disturbing the ground. In Alberta, hundreds of thousands of kilometres of buried cable and pipe deliver essential services like heat, electricity, water, cell service and internet communications. Utilities lie unseen just below the surfaces of our streets, sidewalks, parks, fields, farms and our yards.
With the promise of spring and warmer weather, many of us are eager to begin home improvement projects. Whether it’s landscaping, building a new fence or deck, planting a garden or removing a tree, disturbing the ground on your property can cause damage to a buried utility. Some utilities are buried only centimeters below the surface.
The results of contact with a buried utility can be the loss of an essential service for you or your neighbours, costly repairs, and most importantly serious injury or death. Since the early 1980s, many organizations dedicated to damage prevention worked together to raise awareness and implement a free publicly accessible line location service. In 2021, Alberta One-Call, the Alberta Common Ground Alliance and the Joint Utility Safety Team unified into a single damage prevention organization called the Utility Safety Partners.
To request that buried utilities on your property be located and marked, submit a request online anytime at ClickBeforeYouDig or call 1-800-242-3447 (Monday – Friday, between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm). Plan ahead and place your request at least three full working days before you start your project, then wait for the locate to be completed and lines to be marked. Once you have submitted your request, the utility owners are responsible for contacting you.
Make safety and damage prevention a priority.
Learn more about risks and preparedness with the 2024 Emergency Preparedness Toolkit.
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