Materials maker Borouge has signed an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Italy's Maire Tecnimont Group for the construction of its fifth polypropylene plant in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates.
The new unit will increase polypropylene production capacity for the company by 25 percent to 2.24 million metric tons per year, Dubai-based Borouge announced Sept. 6.
Borouge is a 50/50 joint venture between Austria's Borealis AG and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC).
The new unit will have a nameplate capacity of 480 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa), and will be integrated with the existing Borouge 3 plant in Ruwais. Borouge expects to start production in the third quarter of 2021.
The new facility is part of ADNOC's ambitious downstream strategy, which aims to “significantly expand” the company's refining and petrochemical operations.
Once operational, the new plant, using Borealis proprietary Borstar technology, will also help increase Borouge's polymers production capacity by 11 percent to reach 5 million tonnes per year.
The plant, called PP5, will become the 10th plant in Ruwais using the Borstar technology.