Industry: Polyolefins

AMERICAS Ethylene XXI nearing completion Braskem SA and Grupo Idesa’s JV plant is nearing completion and is expected to come on-stream by July 2015. The USD 4.5 billion complexes will include an ethane cracker with a capacity of 1,050 KTA, two 750 KTA HDPE plants, and one 300 KTA LDPE plant. Comments: The new ethylene […]

AMERICAS  Ineos-Sasol break ground on HDPE plant  Ineos and Sasol have broken ground on a new HDPE production plant at Ineos’ La Porte manufacturing plant. The USD 500 million projects would have a production capacity of 470 KTA and are expected to begin operations in 2016. Comments: This project is among at least 8PE projects […]

AMERICAS Dow Chemical expansion projects on track Construction of Dow Chemical’s US Gulf Coast and Latin America expansion projects are on-track and on a plan for a start-up. In Freeport, TX construction for the on-purpose propylene PDH project is over 50% complete; the project is expected to start in mid-2015. The construction for Dow’s ethylene […]

AMERICAS  Dow to expand production capacity in Argentina  Dow Chemical is planning to expand polyethylene production capacities, and improve production technologies and equipment at its four sites in Argentina, starting in 2015. The LDPE plant will be improved to enable the production of resins used for extrusion coatings in packaging applications. Also, the gas phase […]

AMERICAS  Borealis to consolidate plastics compounding operations in Brazil  Borealis is planning to restructure its operations in Brazil, by transferring production from its plant at Triunfo to the recently upgraded facility at Itatibain in early 2015. Borealis invested about USD 57.3 million to expand the Itatiba facility with the construction of an additional production building, […]

AMERICAS  North Dakota to have new PE Facility Badlands NGL is developing a new polyethylene facility in North Dakota with an investment of about USD 4 billion. This facility will use North Dakota’s natural gas liquid-sourced ethane gas coming out of Williston Basin as a byproduct of oil production. Badlands is working with Tecnicas Reunidas […]

AMERICAS  ExxonMobil Chemical divests its stake in Univation Technologies ExxonMobil Chemical has divested its stake in Univation Technologies, a PE licensing joint venture with Dow Chemical. Univation Technologies will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2014 and is subject to regulatory approval. Comments: Univation […]

AMERICAS  Borealis to expand in South America Borealis is expanding its activity in its plant at Itatiba, Brazil. The expansion project includes the construction of two PP compounding extruders, besides the improvement of plant facilities. All the improvements along with the expanded PP compounding extruders are expected to be online by the fourth quarter of […]

AMERICAS  Sinopec licenses PP technology to US plant Sinopec will be licensing its gas-phase PP continuous pre-polymerization technology to Formosa Plastics in the USA. The technology has been licensed to four plants in China and this is the first license in the USA. Comments: Sinopec having licensed its PP technology to Formosa in the US, […]

AMERICAS  Mexichem acquires HDPE pipe and conduit producer  Mexichem will be acquiring Dura-Line for about USD 630 million. Dura-Line manufactures HDPE conduit, duct, and pressure-pipe products for telecom and data communications, energy, and infrastructure industries. Comments: Dura-Line is one of the largest plastic pipe manufacturers in the US. The company has a wide regional presence […]

AMERICAS  Formosa Plastics obtains EPA permits for new plants  Formosa Plastics Corp. has obtained greenhouse gas prevention of significant deterioration (GHG-PSD) permits from EPA for the construction of 1,600 KTA ethane cracker, 660 KTA PDH unit and a 570 KTA LDPE plant at its site in Point Comfort, TX. Formosa Plastics expects to bring the […]

AMERICAS  CB&I to market Versalis’ LDPE and EVA technologies in North America  Versalis and CB&I have signed an agreement through which CB&I will market and provide Engineering services for Versalis’ EVA and LDPE technology plants in North America. CB&I will offer both tubular and autoclave high-pressure processes. Comments: Versalis, a subsidiary of Italy-based Eni S.p.A, […]