Univation Technologies, LLC (Houston; www.univation.com) has signed an agreement to license UNIPOL PE Technology to LG Chem., Ltd. (LGC) for two polyethylene plants to be built at LG Chem’s petrochemical site in Yeosu, Korea. Each plant’s nameplate capacity will be 300,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr).
The two new plants will enable LG Chem to serve both LLDPE and HDPE market segments with one plant focusing on differentiated metallocene LLDPE products and the other on a full-range of HDPE applications.
Supporting these market-centric objectives, LG Chem is accessing a full-density range of Univation’s UNIPOL PE Product capability including Univation’s XCAT Metallocene LLDPE Technology for metallocene-based film structures such as high-performance blown stretch film applications as well as advantaged packaging film applications. LG Chem will also utilize Univation’s ACCLAIM Unimodal HDPE Technology for advanced unimodal products and PRODIGY™ Bimodal HDPE Technology for unique bimodal HDPE products.
LG Chem has also licensed Univation’s advanced process control system, PREMIER APC+ 2.0, and Univation’s latest platform for virtual plant simulation training: UNIPOL PE Virtual Process Software (UVPS).
“We are honored to be selected by LG Chem as their polyethylene technology licensor for these two new polyethylene plants,” said Dr. Steven Stanley, president of Univation Technologies. “The inherent flexibility of these UNIPOL PE Plants will enable LG Chem to serve a broad array of key LLDPE and HDPE applications satisfying sophisticated Korean market requirements while also producing export-ready grades to capture overseas market opportunities.”
An LG Chem spokesperson commented, “LG Chem maintains its strong commitment to providing our customers with high-performance, high-quality polyethylene resin supply.” The spokesperson continued, “This latest investment in these two new UNIPOL™ PE Technology plants provides LG Chem with the additional capacity, production flexibility and advantaged product capability required to meet the growing customer demand in the markets we serve. We value the collaborative relationship that Univation has developed with LG Chem, and we look forward to continuing that close working relationship as together we bring these two new plants safely into operation.”