Qapco plans 2012 start-up at new LDPE plant

17 April 2008 16:11  [Source: ICIS news]

SHANGHAI (ICIS news)--Qatar Petrochemical Co (Qapco) expects to start up its new low density polyethylene (LDPE) project in Mesaieed, Qatar, in 2012, a source close to the company said on Thursday.

 

The new plant, which plans to use Basell's Lupotech T technology, would have a 250,000 tonne/year capacity, expandable to 300,000 tonnes/year, the source said on the sidelines of the Chinaplas exhibition here.

 

Qapco already operates two LDPE lines at Messaieed with a total capacity of close to 400,000 tonnes/year.

 

Ethylene feedstock for the new LDPE plant will be procured from Qapco's cracker at Mesaieed, which was expanded by 220,000 tonnes/year to 720,000 tonnes/year, and Qatofin's share of the Qatofin/Q-Chem cracker project in Ras Laffan.

 

The Qatofin/Q-Chem project will have a 1.3m tonne/year ethylene capacity and is expected to start up in the first quarter of 2009. Qatofin will supply part of its 600,000 tonnes/year share of output from the cracker to Qapco for the LDPE project.

 

"The cracker can later be expanded to 1.6m tonnes/year, when the timing is right," the source said.

 

Qatofin is owned by Qapco (63%), Total Petrochemicals (36%) and Qatar Petroleum (1%). Q-Chem is a joint venture of Qatar Petroleum and Chevron Phillips Chemical.

 

The Chinaplas exhibition started today and ends on Sunday.

By: Prema Viswanathan
+65 6780 4359

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