By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, Aug. 21 -- BP PLC said Tuesday it will close its low-density polyethylene manufacturing operations at Wilton on Teesside, UK, because of difficult market conditions.
The plant has capacity of 100,000 tonnes/year. It will cease production at the beginning of October. Decommissioning will continue through the end of the year.
The plant will be dismantled and the land cleared in 2002.
Donald Austin, BP's Wilton site manager, said, "In a highly competitive market, it has been increasingly difficult to maintain profitability at the plant. The plant's age and related high costs of production and maintenance, combined with competition from newer, larger plants, have made Wilton unprofitable and led to this decision."
The company will fulfill its commitments with LDPE supplied from other plants or under third party agreements.
BP will relocate, retrain, or provide a severance package to the 81 BP employees at the plant.
