Page 20 - Plastics News April 2018

CompAny news

BPCL plans USD 3 billion petrochemical plant near Mumbai

harat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) plans to build of limited land availability in the city. The petrochemical
Ba $3 billion petrochemical unit to serve the Mumbai complex will be ready by 2023, he said. BPCL plans to
region. BPCL's expansion is part of a national plan to spend pump feedstocks from the Mumbai refinery by pipeline
$35 billion on petrochemical production in order to meet to a nearby port to load onto tankers that will then carry
the expected increase in consumption of the chemicals it to the petrochemical complex, said a source familiar
for products including plastics, paints and adhesives. India with the matter.
currently only produces about 20 million tonnes a year of
petrochemicals, less than the 40 million tonnes of demand
expected for the 2017/18 financial year. Hexcel, Arkema in strategic
alliance for aerospace composites
Demand is expected to almost double again within
a decade, according to a report from the Ministry
of Petroleum and
Natural Gas. BPCL aterials suppliers Arkema SA and Hexcel Corp.
earlier this month Mhave entered into a strategic alliance to develop
bought 500 acres thermoplastic composite solutions for the aerospace
(202 hectares) of sector. The two companies would combine Hexcel’s
land from a fertiliser expertise in carbon fiber and that of Arkema in
unit of Hindustan polyetherketoneketone.
Organic Chemicals As part of the project, the French and U.S.-based
L t d, H in du st a n companies will develop carbon fiber-reinforced
Organic said in a thermoplastic tapes to produce lightweight parts for future
notice to the Bombay generations of aircraft. In addition to lightweighting, the
Stock Exchange on new composites are
March 17. to provide lower cost
The land will allow BPCL to build a petrochemical and faster production
complex that will use feedstocks from its Mumbai refinery, speeds for customers
which processes 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude, in the aerospace and
R. Ramachandran, head of refineries at BPCL told Reuters. the space and defense
The site is about 60 km (37 miles) from the refinery. "This sectors. As part of
(land deal) is fundamental to enhancing our petrochemical this partnership, a
portfolio," said Ramachandran. "Going forward, petchem joint research and development laboratory, located in
consumption is likely to be higher than the conventional France, will be established.The project, according to
fuels so it is better if we start thinking in that direction now." Arkema Chairman and CEO Thierry Le Hénaff, will be
implemented before the year end. “[It will take effect]
To transport feedstock to the new petrochemical complex, a few months before the commissioning of our new PEKK
Ramachandran said there was a plan to build a pipeline plant in the United States in Mobile, Ala., scheduled for
from the refinery to a nearby port and tankers would
then deliver the feedstock to the facility. Alternatively, the end of 2018,” he added. Also commenting on the
project, Nick Stanage, Hexcel chairman and CEO, said
he said a direct pipeline between the Mumbai refinery the partnership, as well as Hexcel’s recent acquisition
and the petrochemical facility could be built. He said of the aerospace and defense business of Oxford
the facility would focus on producing propylene, but also
produce polyethylene at lower quantities. Ramachandran Performance Materials, were part of its growth as a
told Reuters the company had not been able to expand leading specialist in advanced composite thermoplastic
technologies
the Mumbai refinery for the petrochemical site because

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