LyondellBasell's World-Class PE and PP Technologies Selected by Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries

Mo, 1 September 2008

Kazakhstan Petrochemical Industries Inc. LLP, in which LyondellBasell is holding a minority interest, has selected LyondellBasell's polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) technologies for three new plants that will have a combined capacity of 1300 KT of polyolefins per year. The plants will be constructed at the petrochemical complex of Karabatan in Kazakhstan.

The complex will include a 400 KT per year unit based on Spherilene technology, which utilizes a single gas phase reactor "S" configuration to produce linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE). This unit will be complemented with a 400 KT per year low density polyethylene (LDPE) unit based on Lupotech T process technology and a 500 KT per year PP plant based on Spherizone technology. The three world-scale plants are scheduled for start up in 2013.

"Our pioneering PE and PP technologies address the growing needs of Central Asia and Russia," said Kaspar Evertz, Senior Vice President of LyondellBasell's Licensing Business. "As the global leader in polyolefins technology, we offer differentiating processes that enable our customers in this region to remain competitive and responsive to market dynamics. The region requires world-scale plants that can take full advantage of the locally-sourced petrochemical feedstock."

He added, "The latest versions of our Spherilene and Lupotech T process technologies enable the production of a broad range of PE resins, while our Spherizone technology provides the ability to drive products to new extremes in properties and performance and continues to emerge as new benchmark for polypropylene production."