UAE’s Borouge 3 petrochemical units on track to start up this year

DUBAI (ICIS)–UAE’s Borouge is on track to start production at its six new petrochemical plants throughout the year, a source close to the company said on Wednesday.

The plants – which include a 1.5m tonne/year ethane cracker; two Borstar polyethylene (PE) units with a combined capacity of 1.08m tonnes/year; two Borstar polypropylene (PP) units with a combined capacity of 960,000 tonnes/year; and a 350,000 tonne/year low density PE (LDPE) unit – comprise the third phase of Borouge’s petrochemical project in Abu Dhabi, known as Borouge 3.

“The start-up of Borouge 3 will take place during 2014 as planned,” the source said without providing detailed plans on when each of the units will come on stream.

With the new complex, Borouge will raise its olefins and polyolefins capacity to around 4.5m tonnes/year from 2m tonnes/year currently.

Borouge is a joint venture between Austria’s Borealis and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc).

Borealis CEO Mark Garrett had said in November last year that Borouge’s third cracker will come on stream in the first quarter of 2014.

“The cracker start-up will take time for sure. It remains to be seen if it can be completed by the next few weeks or months,” an India-based polyolefins trader said.