Unipetrol AS begins construction on a US$357 mln greenfield PE in Litvinov, Czech Republic

13-Jun-16

Czech Republic-based Unipetrol AS has begun construction on a $357.5 million greenfield polyethylene production unit (PE3) at its Chempark Zaluzi petrochemical complex in Litvinov, Czech Republic, as per Kallanish Energy. The 270,000 metric tpa capacity unit remains on schedule to be commissioned during H2-2018. The project will be the biggest investment in the history of the Czech petrochemical industry.

Designed to replace the complex’s existing 120,000 tpa PE1 unit, the two-line PE3 unit will join the remaining 200,000 tpa PE2 unit, boosting Unipetrol’s overall high-density polyethylene (HDPE) production at the site to 470,000 tpa, up from 320,000 tpa.
In addition to increased production, PE3 also will enable higher utilization of the complex’s recently damaged steam cracker which, following its reconstruction will be able to produce 544,000 tpa of ethylene feedstock for the more-profitable HDPE units as global demand for basic ethylene continues to decline. The PE3 project is part of Unipetrol’s 2013-17 corporate strategy, the core of which is further integration of the company’s refining and petrochemical businesses.