APIC ’16: Borouge crackers running ‘full out’, XLPE to start in weeks

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–All three of Borouge’s crackers in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, are running “full out” and its cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) plant will start up within weeks, its CEO said on Friday.

“All issues have been resolved and all three crackers are running full out,” said Wim Roels, CEO of Borouge.

Roels spoke to ICIS on the sidelines of the Asia Petrochemical Industry Conference (APIC) 2016 being held on 19-20 May.

One of Borouge’s three crackers was off line through all of February as a turnaround at feedstock ethane producer Gasco cut off supply.

In March, some market sources said maintenance to resolve technical issues at the Ruwais site had been extended and that term ethylene exports to northwest Europe would not resume until April or May.

Borouge, a joint venture between Abu Dhabi oil company ADNOC and Austria-based Borealis currently operates three 1.5m tonne/year ethane crackers along with derivatives units at the Ruwais site.

The company’s 70,000 tonne/year XLPE plant – the last part of the Borouge 3 complex – is also set to start up “within weeks”, said Roels.

XLPE has high temperature resistance and is used in plumbing and heating pipes and systems.

Borouge 3 comprises a 1.5m tonne/year ethane cracker and derivative plants, including high density PE (HDPE) and linear low density PE (LLDPE) units with a combined capacity of 1.08m tonnes/year; a 350,000 tonne/year low density PE (LDPE) unit; and two PP units with a combined capacity of 960,000 tonnes/year.