ECMRA: Elenac mulls C3 pipe link to Wesseling

12 October 1999 10:10  [Source: ICIS news]

PARIS (CNI)--Elenac, the joint venture between BASF and Shell, is considering whether to join its Wesseling site near Cologne in Germany with the new propylene (C3) pipeline system being proposed by the ChemVision consortium, a spokesman for BASF revealed here at the annual conference of the European Association for Business Research, Planning & Development in the Chemical Industry (ECMRA).

The site operates two crackers, of 560 000 tonne/year and 240 000 tonne/year capacity, as well as downstream derivative plants.

ChemVision's study into the project, to link Tessenderlo in Belgium with Cologne in North-Rhine Westphalia state, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The companies involved in the ChemVision study, including BASF, DSM, Veba Oel and Degussa-Huls, are hoping to attract public funding for the infrastructure project, which is likely to cost around DM100m to DM200m ($54m/Euro51m to $109m/Euro102m).

If it gets the go-ahead, it could be up and running by 2002-03, said Michael Czytko, manager of the Chemsite investment initiative at Marl in North-Rhine Westphalia, who was also speaking at the ECMRA meeting.

Aethylen-Rohrleitungs-Gesellschaft (ARG), operator of an existing ethylene pipeline network which links the Benelux region with Germany, is carrying out the study.

Andy Spiers of consultant ChemSystems pointed out that there is a surplus of propylene on the Dutch and Belgian coasts but a shortage of propylene in North-Rhine Westphalia which includes Gelsenkirchen where DSM plans next year to open a new, 250 000 tonne/year, polypropylene plant.

The ECMRA annual conference, which is being organised jointly with the US Chemicals Management and Research Association (CMRA), is exploring the theme marketing and strategy for profit. It opened on Monday and continues on Tuesday and Wednesday.

By: John Baker
+44 20 8652 3214

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly