Dow in Fort Saskatchewan

Manufacturing Site and R&D Facility

The Fort Saskatchewan site began manufacturing products for the agricultural, oil, gas, transportation, and pulp and paper industries in 1961. Dow moved into the area because of the availability and low cost of natural resources to make its products.

Fort Saskatchewan's 2,128 acre manufacturing site uses natural gas and salt to produce basic chemicals and plastics. Natural gas liquids are brought into the site's Fractionator plant by pipeline and separated into five hydrocarbon products: ethane, propane-plus, propane, butane and pentane-plus. The Fractionator plant delivers four products to customers outside Dow and sends the ethane to the Ethylene plant to make ethylene, which is used internally on site to make a number of other chemicals, including polyethylene and ethylene dichloride.

The salt found below the Fort Saskatchewan site is used to make brine, which is then used in the Chlor-Alkali process to make chlorine, caustic soda and hydrochloric acid. The site also receives shipments of polystyrene, which is used to make STYROFOAM* brand insulation.

In the past, Dow often looked for new market opportunities and developed the technology and customer base on its own. Today, with greater competitiveness and an increased awareness of the need to more quickly create value, Dow explores joint ventures as a key means to do what it previously did on its own. On July 1, 2004, a new 50/50 joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) of Kuwait, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, and The Dow Chemical Company was formed for the manufacture, marketing and supply of ethylene glycol, worldwide. Dow Canada's former Ethylene Glycol (EG) unit located at Fort Saskatchewan is now part of MEGlobal.

The Fort Saskatchewan site paid over $6.7 million in property taxes to the City of Fort Saskatchewan in 2004. Dow spends around $2.2 billion annually in Alberta on various services, foodstocks, utilities and products needed to run its operations.

Dow has a strong sense of social responsibility and supports the community through donations, employee volunteerism, leadership involvement and sponsorship of many educational and charitable programs and events.

Summer Tour Program
Summer tours are offered in June, July and August at the Fort Saskatchewan site. Tours include refreshments, a bus tour of the entire site, a visit to the Firehall and a walking tour of a production unit.

Please note, close-toed shoes are required and cameras are not permitted. All visitors must be 12 years of age or older.

For more information, or to register for a summer tour, please contact Public Affairs at (780) 998-8028.