Borealis increases PP capacity in Europe
December 18, 2018Borealis is increasing its PP capacity in Europe and strengthening itslong-term commitment to meet the European customers’ needs for innovativepolypropylene. Borealis had previously announced to study the feasibility ofsignificantly increasing its PP production capacity in Europe.
- Borealis has taken the final investment decision to expand the capacity of its PP plant in Kallo, Belgium, by 80kt. The added capacity is expected to come on stream in mid-2020.
- Borealis also approved the start of the Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) phase for the expansion of its PP plant in Beringen, Belgium. The final investment decision on this 250-300kt expansion is envisaged by the end of 2019 and the start-up is expected mid-2022. This project would include an upgrade of the current process technology to the proprietary Borstar® platform.
The capacity
increases are aimed to take full advantage of the additional propylene supply
coming from the new PDH (propane dehydrogenation) plant in Kallo, Belgium, for
which the final investment decision was announced in October this year.
Feedstock will be flowing to Beringen via an underground pipeline network,
which is the safest and most environmentally friendly transportation mode.
Borealis has a well-established, ongoing cooperation with various authorities
and stakeholders in Flanders and Belgium, including the Port of Antwerp and
Locate-in-Limburg, to support its PP growth ambitions.
“This PP capacity increase will be another significant European investment
aimed at serving our European customer base. In Europe, polypropylene supply is
not keeping up with increasing demand. With the market tightening and
continuous application expansion for PP materials, additional investment is
needed to support the growth of our customers. The synergies with the ongoing
PDH project in Kallo will ensure a reliable and integrated value chain from
feedstock to customers,” says Alfred Stern, Borealis Chief Executive.