BP to expand olefins capacity in Southeast Asia

BP Chemicals Ltd. is continuing its drive to expand olefins production capacity in Southeast Asia, with a new polyethylene plant in the Philippines and an ethylene plant debottlenecking in Malaysia. Bataan Polyethylene Corp., in which BP holds 30%, let contract to JGC Corp., Tokyo, for engineering and procurement on a project to build a 250,000 metric ton/year polyethylene plant at Bataan. The plant is due on stream in 1999.

Sept. 15, 1997

BP Chemicals Ltd. is continuing its drive to expand olefins production capacity in Southeast Asia, with a new polyethylene plant in the Philippines and an ethylene plant debottlenecking in Malaysia.

Bataan Polyethylene Corp., in which BP holds 30%, let contract to JGC Corp., Tokyo, for engineering and procurement on a project to build a 250,000 metric ton/year polyethylene plant at Bataan.

The plant is due on stream in 1999.

In Malaysia, BP and joint venture partners Petronas and Idemitsu have completed a debottlenecking at the Ethylene Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. cracker at Kertih. This has raised plant capacity to 400,000 metric tons/year of ethylene from 320,000 metric tons/year.

Also at Kertih, the Polyethylene Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. joint venture, in which BP holds a 60% interest, has completed a new polyethylene pipe compounding unit. This has 45,000 metric tons/year capacity.