The thinking behind Next Wave Energy Partners’ late-2019 decision to build a first-of-its-kind ethylene-to-alkylate plant was that a combination of NGL production growth and new ethylene supply — plus increasing demand for alkylate, an octane-boosting gasoline blendstock — would be a win-win-win for ethylene producers, refiners and Next Wave itself. Now, with construction of the plant along the Houston Ship Channel approaching the homestretch, things are shaking out very much as the company had anticipated — even better, in fact. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss the progress being made on Next Wave’s Project Traveler plant and the market forces validating the company’s final investment decision (FID).
Who among us didn’t make plans in late 2019 and early 2020 that didn’t pan out. Trips to the beach, to the mountains, to Europe. Family get-togethers and weddings. Plans to start new businesses, change jobs or retire. No, COVID reared its ugly head, and wreaked all kinds of havoc (beyond the obvious and sad human toll). The stock market crashed, and so did crude oil prices. Demand for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel tanked, and E&Ps, refiners and petrochemical companies tore up and threw out their 2020 and 2021 playbooks. More shocks followed, especially Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which sent crude oil, natural gas and refined-product prices skyward and helped spur a round of inflation the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 1970s. And now there’s talk of a recession too.
After all the shocks and dislocations of the past two-and-a-half years, however, at least one of the plans made in the months before COVID did come to pass. Or, to put it more accurately, the project we’ll discuss in today’s blog is well on its way to becoming a reality, and the late-2019 rationale behind its owner's FID hasn’t just held up, it’s proved to be prescient.
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About the song
“Keeps Gettin’ Better” was written by Christina Aguilera and Linda Perry and appears as the 12th song on Christina Aguilera’s first greatest hits album, Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits. Made specifically as a new song for the hits album, it was released as a single in September 2008. It went to #7 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Dance Club Songs Singles charts. The electro-pop tune was produced by co-writer Linda Perry. Personnel on the record were: Christina Aguilera (vocals), Linda Perry (programming), and Marc Jameson (drum programming).
Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits features songs recorded between 1998 and 2008. Produced by Walter Afanasieff, Christina Aguilera, Glen Ballard, ChakDaddy, DJ Premier, E. Dawk, Missy Elliott, Ron Fair, Rob Lewis, Balewa Mahammad, Linda Perry, Charles Roane, Guy Roche, Rockwilder, Scott Storch, and Sol Survivor, the album was released in November 2008 and went to #9 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. “Keeps Gettin’ Better” was the only single released from the LP.
Christina Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. She got her start as a professional entertainer as a member of The Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel. She signed with RCA Records and released her debut studio album in 1999. Aguilera has released nine studio albums, six compilation albums, one soundtrack album, three EPs and 54 singles. She has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Aguilera has appeared in nine motion pictures and 18 television shows and was a coach/judge on the television talent search program The Voice for six seasons. She has won four ASCAP Awards, five BMI Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, five Grammy Awards and one MTV Video Music Award, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She continues to record and tour.
