Braskem (São Paulo, Brazil; www.braskem.com.br) announced that The Linde Group (Munich, Germany; www.the-linde.group.com) has been selected as the lead engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor to build Braskem’s new world-scale North American polypropylene (PP) production line. Linde offers comprehensive project development services for polyolefin industrial plants, ranging from front end engineering design (FEED) to complete EPC execution and is an approved contractor for UNIPOL Polypropylene Process Technology.
Braskem has committed up to $675 million towards the design and construction of the new PP production line named Delta, which will be located next to Braskem’s existing production facilities in La Porte, Texas. With the engineering design phase well underway, the new plant will have a production capacity of 450,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), or the equivalent of approximately 1 billion pounds per year.
Mark Nikolich, Braskem North America Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Today we are pleased to announce another significant step forward in the development of Delta, which is set to be the largest polypropylene production line in the Americas. The selection of The Linde Group as our lead EPC contractor follows a highly competitive selection process. With the experience of having built more than 4,000 plants in more than 100 countries, Linde brings leading edge technology solutions for plant engineering, as well as strong global construction procurement skills and deep specialty experience in UNIPOL PP industrial plant design. We are excited to partner with Linde on this important project as we continue to execute on Braskem’s global growth strategy and extend our position as the leading producer of polypropylene in the Americas.”
Dr. Christian Bruch, Member of the Executive Board of the Linde Group and responsible for the company’s engineering business, said, “After decades without significant capacity additions in the US the industry is seeing a strategic change in US polypropylene supply. Based on our experience with the UNIPOL polypropylene process we have developed a proven track record in delivering measurable benefits to our customers, from design to construction. We are excited to support Braskem in their strategic growth plan in this important market.”
The construction of Braskem’s new Delta production line is expected to positively impact economic activity in the La Porte region, employing approximately 1,000 development and construction workers to fully construct the facility. Construction is expected to begin mid-summer 2017, with the final phase of main construction targeted for the first quarter of 2020.