BP Amoco denies serious delays at Grangemouth lldPE plant

19 June 2000 17:25  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--BP Amoco said Monday that it was not aware of any serious delays to the planned start-up next month of its new linear low density polyethylene (lldPE) plant at Grangemouth in Scotland.

In an allusion today to the 300 000 tonne/year capacity unit, competitor Elenac (the Shell/BASF joint venture) said it will be "delayed for some months". The reference was made by Hartmut Mohring, senior vice president for films, at an Elenac briefing on its 1999 financial results and business outlook. Although he did not refer to BP Amoco, Mohring did identify the plant as being built in the UK; the BP Amoco facility at Grangemouth is the only new lldPE in the UK due onstream this summer (Q3).

BP Amoco said it had not heard of any problems which might delay start-up by months, although it confirmed that the new lldPE unit and a new 250 000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant at Grangemouth could not be commissioned until repairs have been completed to a steam pipe which fractured just under two weeks ago.

The PP plant, which is being built by BP/Elf Atochem joint venture Appryl, and the lldPE facility are also among petrochemical plants at Grangemouth being subjected to in-depth safety checks being carried out by BP officials and experts from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

By: Neil Sinclair
+44 20 8652 3214

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