MONACA, Pa. — Shell is reportedly considering selling its chemical plants, including a facility in Beaver County.
No final decisions have been made on what would be a major sale that could have a big local impact. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report that Shell is exploring a sale of its chemical assets.
The Shell Polymers plant in Monaca cost $14 billion to build. It began operations in 2022 and employs around 600 people.
The plant was hit with a $10 million fine by Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection for air quality violations within months of opening. Community members complained, and the plant said it made several safety and environmental changes.
Some locals we spoke to have mixed feelings about there possibly being a new owner.
“If you shut it down, people lose jobs. If they keep it running and sell it to someone else, people keeps jobs,” Tom Schuller said. “Could be good news or could be bad, depends on what the new owners want to do with it. Maybe they will hire more people, maybe they won’t. Maybe they will cut jobs. You won’t know until this happens.”
A study by the Ohio River Valley Institute in 2023 said the plant has not quite provided the economic boom many were expecting.
Channel 11 asked Shell about the study at the time and a spokesperson said Shell’s presence is expected to generate over $80 billion in revenue over 40 years.
We reached out to Shell about the potential sale and they had no comment.
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