Ineos announced plans to construct a world-scale PDH (Propane Dehydrogenation) unit in Europe. The plant will produce 750,000 t/a of propylene for Ineos units across the continent. A number of possible locations are currently being considered including a number of sites at Antwerp in Belgium. Ineos also intends to increase the ethylene capacity of its cracker facilities at Grangemouth in Scotland and Rafnes in Norway to over 1 million t each. Gerd Franken, CEO Ineos Olefins & Polymers North says: “These are exciting times for Ineos as we plan to further increase the capacity of our crackers in Europe and at the same time to build an entirely new PDH plant. These expansions and new builds will increase our self-sufficiency in all key olefin products and give further support to our derivative businesses and polymer plants in Europe. All our assets will benefit from our capability to import competitive raw materials from the US and the rest of the world.”
Ineos currently produces nearly 4.5 million t of ethylene and propylene across Europe, but remains the largest buyer of ethylene and propylene in the region. In combination, these three major projects will significantly increase the quantities of propylene and ethylene produced in Europe, and will support the continued growth and future profitability of Ineos’ ethylene and propylene derivative businesses.
