BELGIUM: Borealis lets Jacobs FEED study contract for new world-scale PDH plant in Kallo

Borealis has awarded a contract to Jacobs Engineering for the front-end engineering design (FEED) study of a world-scale propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant at Borealis' existing site in Kallo, Belgium.

The new unit, which will be based on Honeywell UOP's Oleflex technology, will have a targeted production capacity of 740,000 t/y of polymer-grade propylene.

As part of the FEED study, Jacobs is preparing the basic design package for both the inside battery limit areas, as well as the outside battery limit areas of the PDH unit.

The FEED phase is planned for completion by mid-2018.

A final investment decision on the project is expected in the third quarter of this year and start-up is scheduled for early 2022.

"A new and innovative PDH plant of this scale would be a significant investment in the chemical industry in Europe and a response to market demand for polypropylene and propylene," noted Jacobs Petroleum and Chemicals President Vinayak Pai. Jacobs also completed the feasibility study for the facility.

Source: Weekly “PetroChemical News”, Durham, NC, USA; 8 Jan 2018
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)