BASF plans turnaround at major world-scale plants this year

16-Feb-06

As part of maintenance processes for regulatory and routine inspections, BASF plans to carry out turnarounds of key world-scale plants in 2006. The turnarounds are planned to carry out technical inspections, maintain equipment, perform cleaning work and exchange used catalysts. Performance and reliability of the plants will also be improved, along with scheduled inspections at various downstream plants. The company however, will continue to provide customers with secure supplies of high-quality chemicals during the scheduled inspections and maintenance turnaround process EBIT at the chemicals segment due to the turnarounds is estimated to be reduced by approximately €100 million in 2006. Major turnarounds in 2006 include: * The propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Tarragona, Spain, in January and February. * The steam cracker and the butadiene extraction facility in Port Arthur, Texas, to be overhauled in March and April. * The syngas and oxo-alcohols plants in Nanjing, China, in March and April. * One of BASF's two crackers in Ludwigshafen, including downstream plants, will also undergo inspections in April and May.