After years of construction, the energy giant Shell announced Tuesday that its ethane cracker plant in Beaver County has commenced operations.

The plant, which refines natural gas into plastic pellets, is one of the largest of its kind in the country. It is the first major polyethylene manufacturing complex in the Northeastern United States and has a designed output of 1.6 million tons annually, according to Shell.

Shell said the 384-acre cracker plant is strategically located within a 700-mile radius of 70% of the U.S. polyethylene market. Southwest Pennsylvania has large reserves of natural gas in the Marcellus shale formation to supply the plant. The company says the plastic pellets produced at the plant can be used in a wide variety of products such as common household goods, consumer and food packaging, as well as industrial and utility products.

“With great market access, innovative offers and connected infrastructure, Shell Polymers Monaca is well positioned and ready to serve customers with high-quality, competitive products,” said Huibert Vigeveno, Shell Downstream Director.

It supports 600 jobs at the facility in Potter Township near Monaca, and Allegheny Conference on Community Development CEO Stefani Pashman said she expects the plant to support job growth up to 11,000 indirect and induced jobs. Officials believe the cracker plant can lead to an increase in plastic-related manufacturing jobs for the Pittsburgh region.

“The opening of Shell Polymers Monaca facility demonstrates the power of placing big bets that position the Pittsburgh region for the future,” said Pashman. “By leveraging our unique assets — including natural resources; water, road, and rail transportation infrastructure; and geographical positioning — new long-term strategic opportunities are opening for our region.”

The cracker plant supported thousands of construction jobs while it was being built. Construction began in 2017.

The cracker plant is permitted by the state to emit 2.2 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, the equivalent of adding more than 480,000 cars to the region annually.

Environmentalists have opposed the project since its conception. They have raised concerns about its carbon dioxide emissions, potential plastic pollution, and the possibility of large-scale methane leaks.

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