Indonesian petchem complex to expand PP production capacity

PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical Tbk (CAP), a subsidiary of PT Barito Pacific Tbk, Jakarta, has let a contract to W.R. Grace & Co. to provide process technology licensing for a planned expansion of an existing polypropylene (PP) unit at its petrochemical complex at Ciwandan, Cilegon, in Indonesia’s Banten province.

Grace will extend licensing of its proprietary Unipol PP process technology and supply nonphthalate CONSISTA catalyst for the expansion of the complex’s existing Unipol PP plant, which increase capacity of the unit to 590,000 tonnes/year from 480,000 tpy, according to the service provider and CAP.

The Unipol PP plant’s expansion comes as part of CAP’s strategy of enabling the Ciwandan complex meet Indonesia’s rising demand for PP as well as remain highly competitive in the region, CAP said.

The parties disclosed neither a value of the contract nor a timeframe for when the expansion would be completed.

CAP most recently announced it would begin construction in this year’s third quarter on a revamp of its 860,000-tpy naphtha cracker at the Ciwandan complex to expand ethylene production at the site to 900,000 tpy by first-quarter 2020 (OGJ Online, July 10, 2017).

Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].