Following the decision to build a new large propylene plant based on propane dehydrogenation (PDH) in Antwerp / Belgium – see Plasteurope.com of 10.10.2018 – Borealis (Vienna / Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) has now announced an expansion of the expected downstream PP plants – the company will be expanding its PP plant at its site in Kallo at the port of Antwerp by the middle of 2020. The capacity of the line is expected to increase by 80,000 t/y. According to Plasteurope.com's Polyglobe database (www.polyglobe.net), Borealis can produce 385,000 t/y of PP there.

The Austrian group has also started the front-end engineering and design (FEED) for the conversion and extension of the PP plants at the inland location of Beringen / Belgium, which is pipelined to Kallo. The 300,000 t/y line there will then be switched to the "Borstar" method in mid-2022. At the same time, an increase of 250,000 t/y up to 300,000 t/y is being planned. A final decision on this will be made by the end of 2019.