Indian Oil selects Basell's Spheripol technology for new 600 KT PP Plant

07-Feb-05

Indian Oil Corporation Limited has selected Basell's Spheripol technology for a new 600 KT pa Polypropylene plant. The plant is to be built at Panipat, India, with start-up planned for 2007. "This is the first entry of IndianOil into the field of Polyolefins, and it is our target to further expand our petrochemicals business in the future," said Mr. Govindarajan, IndianOil's General Manager for Petrochemicals Business. "It is very important for the success of this project that the best available technology is selected. We are happy with the outcome of the selection." "With its low capital and operating costs, reliable operation and broad product portfolio, the Spheripol process has facilitated entry into PP business for many producers," said Just Jansz, president of Basell's Technology Business, who participated in a signing ceremony in New Delhi, India. The Spheripol process is used in plants all over the world, including four in India, with a combined capacity of 16 million tons per annum. The IndianOil License is the 12th overall signed by Basell this year. The 12 licenses represent a combined annual capacity of more than 3.6 million tons of Polyolefins. Other technologies licensed by Basell in 2004 were the Spherilene, Hostalen and Lupotech T Polyethylene processes and Spherizone, the newest Polypropylene technology, which has already achieved 1 million tones of licensed capacity since it was commercialised in late 2003. Basell's complete portfolio of licensed technologies is comprised of:: 1. Spheripol - Polypropylene technology for the production of Homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers. 2. Spherizone - next generation Polypropylene technology based on new multi-zone reactor technology. 3. Spherilene - swing gas phase process for the production of LLDPE and HDPE. 4. Hostalen - low-pressure slurry process for the production of bimodal HDPE. 5. Lupotech G - fluidised bed gas phase process for the production of HDPE and MDPE. 6. Lupotech T - high pressure tubular reactor process for the production of LDPE and EVA copolymers. Basell also produces and commercialises advanced catalyst systems which are sold under the Avant trade name. (Company Press Release)