INEOS to expand high viscosity PAO capacity at Texas site

LONDON (ICIS)–INEOS is to expand production capacity of high viscosity polyalphaolefins (HV PAO) at its Chocolate Bayou, Texas, site by 2025, the producer said on Tuesday.

The phased expansion will see capacity at the unit grow to 40,000 tonnes of the material, used as a lubricant in wind turbines and other industrial applications, by 2025. The unit came on stream with a capacity of 20,000 tonnes/year, with a debottlenecking project increasing that to 25,000 tonnes/year.

Production at the unit is based on metallocene HV PAO technology, the company added.

The announcement follows completion of a 120,000 tonne/year low viscosity PAO plant at the site, the largest single-train production facility in the world.

“These investments are a component of the ongoing INEOS Oligomers’ “organic” growth strategy that will ultimately double the size of our business,” said INEOS Oligomers CEO Joe Walton.

Thumbnail shows some wind turbines, which use lubricants made with PAOs. Image by Shutterstock.