would occur in regions where currently there is a minor amount of petro- 

 chemical manufacturing. These complexes would be tied largely to refinery 

 development and would include plants producing those primary organic 

 chemicals and key derivatives that are typically manufactured close to 

 feedstock sources for economic reasons. Although the trend towards 

 integrated refineries and petrochemical complexes will tend to decrease 

 the net land requirements, this should not offset other pressures for 

 more land. It is assumed that land requirements in the more crowded 

 Mid Atlantic area will stay the same as more land-efficient installations 

 are used there. The future land requirements for a petrochemical complex 

 by region are assumed as follows [48]: 



Region Acres 



Required 



New England 330 



Mid-Atlantic 300 



South Atlantic 350 



Puget Sound 350 



San Francisco Bay Area 300 



Construction/Installation 



Typically a petrochemical complex must be situated on solid soils 

 of high load-bearing capacity because of the many activities involving 

 heavy equipment. With its location usually in a coastal region there is 

 a good probability that wetlands will be involved at some point in 

 construction. The land must be cleared of vegetation. Unstable land must be 

 excavated and filled with either sand or gravel to maintain an acceptable 

 working surface. 



The construction of a petrochemical complex will require land 

 clearing, grading and earth-moving operations, construction of storage- 

 tank dikes, access roads, and parking areas. If the site is only slightly 

 above water, considerable dredging and filling may also occur to raise 

 the elevation of the site. These various operations will all require 

 the use of heavy construction machinery such as bulldozers, drag lines, 

 and graders. 



Installation of the processing equipment, storage tanks, foundations, 

 pipelines, and pumping and electrical systems requires skilled welders, 

 pipefitters, electricians, carpenters, and heavy equipment operators. 

 Several hundred workers would be needed to construct a large facility. 



Petrochemical complexes would normally be constructed by a consortium 

 of construction companies, each of which specializes in a certain type 

 of work. One company may do most of the earth work, such as grading and 

 foundations; another will fabricate the tanks and install the piping and 



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