Basell Orlen Polyolefins Sp. z o.o. („BOP”/ „Company”) has just completed a development project on its Spheripol* installation which produces polypropylene (PP), increasing its manufacturing capacity by 20 percent to 480 thousand tons.
An annual name plate capacity of the Company has increased to 900 thousand tons of polyolefins per year, as BOP, apart from PP, also manufactures 320 thousand tons of high density polyethylene (HDPE) based on Hostalen* technology and 100 thousand tons of low density polyethylene (LDPE). The increase of PP installation capacity is linked to the Metathesis installation investment realized by one of the shareholders of BOP, Polski Koncern Naftowy ORLEN SA.
‘It has been the biggest investment project in BOP since the start-up of Spheripol and Hostalen installations in September 2015,’ said Laurent Hautier, President of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of BOP. ‘This investment also involved improvement of the BOP Logistics Platform in order to secure sufficient storage capacity. We are proud that this investment makes BOP PP Spheripol installation the largest PP production line in Europe,’ added Laurent Hautier.
‘Expansion of PP capacity is the answer to the increasing demand of PP and a milestone in the development strategy of BOP. The increase of PP volume will allow us meet the demands of converters who are in the proximity of our plant, reaffirming our position as the leading producer and supplier of PP in Poland,’ commented Jaap Rabou, Management Board Member, Sales Director in BOP. ‘Thanks to the enlarged silo farm of the Logistics Platform in Płock, BOP is able to offer solutions which are in line with the market trend, visible over the last years, of growing customer needs of bulk supply in the proximity of our plant. This will allow us to maintain the position of a reliable and solid supplier which delivers the right products on-time and in a form preferred by a converter,’ summarized Jaap Rabou.
Construction of the existing production installation Spheripol in Płock started in 2003 and finished in 2005. Since then almost 4 million tons of PP was manufactured in BOP. The Company produces in Płock several dozens of various PP grades: homo, raco and heco-polymers. They comprise a wide offer of materials which are appropriate for diverse applications. Thanks to their various properties, these versatile products are used in a wide variety of consumer products This includes the production of rigid and flexible packaging, textile and clothing products, and automotive parts or pipes. PP grades manufactured in Płock based on Spheripol technology are characterized by high cleanliness, consistent physical properties and good processability.
* Spheripol and Hostalen are trademarks of LyondellBasell.