The rumor was President Donald Trump was coming to the Upper Ohio Valley in the spring.
Specifically, to Dillies Bottom, Ohio, in Belmont County.
It was believable, too, because the president had made visits to the region before to support the coal industry, so why not for petrochemicals, too? A spring visit would have lined up with the expected announcement that PTT-Global America would move forward with the construction of a $10 billion “cracker plant,” a facility that manufactures wet natural gas into plastic pellets.
It also was conceivable because First Energy’s Burger Power Plant had been demolished, and the land was sold to PTT; more than a dozen residential properties had been cleared after PTT reached agreements with the owners; labor agreements had been finalized with the local trades; water and air permits were granted; and because a similar project was well under way just 65 river miles to the north in Beaver County.
The pieces appeared in place for President Trump to roar into Belmont County to assist with the final announcement for what would prove to be the biggest financial investment ever made in the state of Ohio.
That press conference never took place.
The Perfect Place
PTT, a corporation based in Thailand, had accumulated more than 500 acres in Dilles Bottom that would be needed to develop a $6 billion petrochemical plant, but after recruiting the Daelim Corp., the project grew by $4 billion.
Officials with JobsOhio, the economic development arm for the Buckeye State, estimated that a $10 billion facility would need as many as 5,000 construction workers during a five-year build, and then the company would hire more than 700 full-time employees who would earn at least $65,000 per year. Plus, those same officials speculated that plastic manufacturers would wish to develop plants in close proximity to PTT.
Jobs, jobs, and more jobs, perhaps enough to replace what the steel industry once meant to the Upper Ohio Valley as far as employment was concerned. Elected officials were confident the deal would go down soon after it was announced in 2015, but the delays began in 2016 and continued through 2019. But then PTT stated late last year that an announcement would take place during the first quarter of 2020.
And why wouldn’t it this time? The “cracker” would be built along the Ohio River directly across from Moundsville, and with barge, rail, Ohio Route 7, and Interstate 470 close by, it seemed ideal for such a development.
Global Means Global
The first tale told was that the virus was hosted by a bat sold at the Huanan Market in Wuhan, China, and the person who consumed the exotic cuisine was the first person on the planet to perish from Covid-19.
Truth is, no one knows for sure if that story is true. That’s why a group of 10 international scientists from the World Health Organization will travel Wuhan next month to develop their own theories and assessments about the origins of a virus that has helped lead to the 1.7 million deaths that have taken place thus far across the world.
The coronavirus pandemic began in both the United States and Thailand in March and, as the year progressed, Thailand and its 69 million residents witnessed positive cases pile up to more than 6,770 and saw the numbers in the United States balloon to nearly 20 million with 350,000 associated deaths. Travel restrictions were put into place, too, that did not permit PTT’s executives to continue visiting the Upper Ohio Valley.
In May, another delay was announced, and then Daelim pulled out of the project in mid-July, citing the pandemic and issues with oil prices. Even after the formation of partnerships with Mountaineer NGL Storage and Range Resources Appalachia later in the summer, confidence continued to decline.
“The pandemic obviously has had a negative impact on the American economy, and the same is true in many other parts of the world,” said Belmont County Commissioner J.P. Dutton in October. “But if PTT was intent on moving forward, I doubt they would have created the partnerships for storage and for the supply of natural gas.”
If and When?
“Due to circumstances beyond our control related to the pandemic, we are unable to promise a firm timeline for a final investment decision. We pledge that we will do everything within our control to make an announcement as soon as we possibly can with the goal of bringing jobs and prosperity to the Ohio Valley.”
That was a statement released in mid-November on its website, but it was replaced with this statement on November 17.
“The proposed world-scale petrochemical complex in the Ohio River Valley remains the top priority of PTTGC America (PTTGCA). PTTGCA is working to move the project forward, continuing to invest its time and resources with the goal of creating thousands of jobs and transforming the regional economic landscape. The project has not at any point been put on hold. PTTGCA looks forward to making announcements of the project’s progression in the weeks and months ahead.”
The two releases state the same sentiment that the “cracker” could still be a go, and while questions about where and why are widely known, it’s the “when” that has led to lost patience and overwhelming doubt.
“I have no idea if PTT will move forward now,” said Doug Giffin, president of the IBEW Local 141. “But that property is perfect for development because of all the infrastructure, so that’s why I really think we’ll see something happen there in the future.”
