Braskem explores calling off Comperj cracker, likely to double capacity at Rio unit

11-Feb-15

Brazil-based petrochemical and polymers company Braskem seems keen to drop plans to build the Comperj petrochemical complex in Rio de Janeiro state and is instead exploring a doubling of capacity at its existing gas-based cracker there to over 1 mln tpa, as per a source in ICIS. " When the Rio Polimeros project was launched five years ago, it was built to be able to double the current capacity,” as per the source. Capacity at the cracker complex, located at Duque de Caxias in Rio de Janeiro state, is around 540,000 tpa of ethylene and polyethylene (PE). However, the cracker is running at less than full capacity because of a lack of ethane/propane feedstock, said the source. Braskem’s planned massive Comperj petrochemical project at Itaborai in Rio de Janeiro state, which would include a world scale gas cracker, had been on hold for years, as Braskem was unable to reach a supply deal on ethane/propane feedstock with state-operated oil and gas company Petrobras. Timing of the expansion project is uncertain, as Braskem has yet to agree on feedstock. “Braskem would not expand Rio Polimeros without a guarantee on feedstock from Petrobras,” the source said.