Qapco selects Basell’s technology for LDPE plant

18 April 2007 12:52  [Source: ICIS news]

MANAMA, Bahrain (ICIS news)--Qatar Petrochemical Co (Qapco) has selected Basell to supply technology for its low density polyethylene (LDPE) project in Mesaieed, Qatar, a Qapco official said on Wednesday.

 

The plant, which will use Basell's Lupotech T technology, will have a 250,000 tonne/year capacity, expandable to 300,000 tonnes/year, he said ahead of the contract signing later today.

 

He was speaking to ICIS news at the Nexant ChemSystems’ Middle East Planning Seminar held in Bahrain on 17-18 April.

 

The LDPE project is expected to be completed by the end of 2010, with commercial production scheduled for early 2011, the official said.

 

Qapco estimates the investment cost at $250m-275m. The engineering, procurement and construction contractor has not been selected, he added.

 

Ethylene feedstock will be provided from Qapco’s ethylene plant at Mesaieed, which is being expanded, and Qatofin’s share of the Qatofin/Q-Chem cracker project in Ras Laffan.

 

Qapco’s ethylene expansion will raise capacity by 220,000 tonnes/year and is due on stream in July 2007, he said.

 

The Qatofin/Q-Chem project will have a 1.3m tonne/year ethylene capacity and is expected to start up in 2008. Qatofin will supply part of its 600,000 tonnes/year share of output from the cracker to Qapco for the LDPE project, explained the Qapco official.

 

Qatofin, which is owned by Qapco (63%), Total Petrochemicals (36%) and Qatar Petroleum (1%), is building a 450,000 tonne/year linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant downstream of the Ras Laffan cracker.

 

Earlier this month, Polinter chose the Lupotech T process for its LDPE project in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

By: Anna Jagger
+44 20 8652 3214

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