Borealis AG (Vienna, Austria) announced an investment of €4.5 million in the cracker furnaces at its olefins unit in Porvoo, Finland. This investment ensures that the Porvoo steam cracker, which is part of a highly integrated petrochemical complex, can increase the share of renewable and recycled raw materials used in its base chemicals (ethylene and propylene) production; thus, supporting Borealis Strategy 2030 and driving the transformation to a circular economy. The Porvoo investment program, which has already been kicked off and is expected to be completed in 2025, follows last year’s completion of a major cracker-furnace upgrade in Sweden.
Borealis invests EUR 4.5 million in its steam cracker in Porvoo, Finland (Source: Borealis)
The Porvoo steam cracker, which has a nameplate capacity of 430 kilotons ethylene and 263 kilotons propylene per year, is a facility that thermally “cracks” feedstock – such as naphtha, propane, butane, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) – into smaller molecules. Furnaces are the “heart” of every cracker. Thanks to the investment, three of the ten cracker furnaces in the olefins unit will be modified to enable a total annual production of 120 kilotons of base chemicals based on renewable and recycled feedstocks. The renewable-based and chemically recycled base chemicals produced at Borealis’ site in Porvoo have been awarded the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS). The ISCC PLUS certification is a voluntary scheme that covers the entire supply chain based on mass balance accounting and guarantees compliance with the highest environmental standards.
“With a focus on reinventing essentials for sustainable living, our EUR 4.5 million investment in our steam cracker in Porvoo moves us closer towards a future of circular economy transformation. Through strategic furnace modifications and a commitment to renewable and chemically recycled base chemicals, we are poised to elevate annual production to 120 kilotons, forging a path of environmental stewardship and economic resilience,” says Wolfram Krenn, Borealis Executive Vice President Operations and Base Chemicals.