INEOS’s new Antwerp ethylene terminal fully operational by 2013

16 January 2012 16:19  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--INEOS’s new ethylene terminal in Antwerp, Belgium, is now expected to be in full operation by the start of 2013, Tom Crotty, director of the Switzerland-headquartered producer, said on Monday.

“It’s well on track and in terms of commissioning we’re not too far away,” said Crotty. “Much of the main heavy construction work is complete and we are now into the more detailed issues around engineering systems and tie-ins [to the pipeline system].”

The 1m tonne/year facility has been under construction for around 15 months and will feed INEOS’s ethylene oxide (EO) plant at Zwijndrecht and link to Europe’s ARG pipeline. The project was unveiled in July 2010.

The terminal has been dubbed a “game changer” in Europe by some observers and will take advantage of the availability of deep sea ethylene from the Middle East, for example. Prices will still be beneficial even when factoring in the high shipping costs.

“We are net short on ethylene - about 1m tonnes/year short – and this is designed to address that. We look at it almost as a virtual cracker; it will give us that balance and capability,” he said.

Crotty noted that it was tough to predict the terminal’s effect on the market, adding that INEOS was open to discussions for third party access but would not comment on any progress.

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For more on INEOS visit ICIS company intelligence

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