After a FEED study was concluded in June 2018, Borealis (Vienna / Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) has taken the final decision to build a 750,000 t/y propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant at its production site in Kallo / Belgium – see Plasteurope.com of 09.10.2017. Plant startup is scheduled for the first half of 2022.

The facility will use UOP's "Oleflex" technology, and Oiltanking Antwerp Gas Terminal (OTAGT; www.oiltanking.com) has been chosen as logistics partner for the handling of propylene and propane. OTAGT will construct a 135,000 m³ propane storage tank. The hydrogen that is a by-product of the process will be sold to industrial gas specialist Air Liquide (Paris / France; www.airliquide.com) under a long-term deal.

With the additional C3 capacity, Borealis is currently studying the feasibility of various capacity increases for polypropylene, said CEO Alfred Stern. According to Plasteurope.com's Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), the Austrian group currently has capacities for 480,000 t/y of propylene and 385,000 t/y of PP at its Kallo site.