Polish chemicals producer Grupa Azoty (Tarnów; www.grupaazoty.com) has licensed the "Oleflex" C3 technology of Honeywell (Morris Township, New Jersey / USA; www.honeywell.com) subsidiary UOP (Des Plaines, Illinois / USA; www.uop.com) for its 400,000 t/y propylene plant, due to start up in Police / Poland in 2019 – for previous coverage, see Plasteurope.com of 31.03.2015. Output of the facility is to go towards manufacturing plastics used to replace metal in automotive applications, UOP said.

The PLN 1.7 bn (about EUR 410m) plant will cater to both domestic Polish demand as well as to neighbouring countries, Grupa Azoty said, adding that once it is on stream, it expects its annual revenues to rise by about PLN 2 bn (EUR 283m), while the workforce at the plant, located in the Szeczecin region, is to increase by 200.

Commenting on the agreement, UOP process technology and equipment vice president Mike Millard said, “In western Europe, by-product propylene is expected to decline about 4% over the next five years, while global propylene demand will increase by more than 20%, meaning on-purpose production is critical to fill the gap” (for more details, see also Plasteurope.com of 02.03.2015). He added that, “This new facility helps position Poland as an important petrochemical producer with strong manufacturing capabilities that is creating new jobs in the region.”