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Hanwha Total Petrochemical Increases Ethylene Production Capacity by 30%

| By Gerald Ondrey

The Daesan integrated petroleum-refining and petrochemicals complex in South Korea, owned by Hanwha Total Petrochemical — A 50–50 joint venture between Total S.A. (Paris, France; www.total.com) and Hanwha Group (Seoul, South Korea; www.hanwha.com) — has started its new ethylene production capacities. With a $450-million investment, the site can now produce 1.4 million ton/yr of ethylene, an increase of 30%.

This project was launched in April 2017 and is the first in a series of three at the complex. More than $300 million are being invested to expand polyethylene production capacity by 50% to 1.1 million ton/yr by the end of 2019, and nearly $500 million are being invested to increase polypropylene production capacity by close to 60% to 1.1 million ton/yr by 2021.

The three projects take advantage of abundant, cost-advantaged propane feedstock from the shale-gas revolution in the U.S. With these investments, the Daesan facility will be in a position to capture margins across the ethylene-polyethylene and propylene-polypropylene value chains. The additional production capacity will help meet rapidly growing Asian demand.

“These investments and today’s successful start-up of the first project reflect our strategy of meeting growing global demand for petrochemicals by channeling our investments into our world-class complexes and leveraging cost-advantaged feedstock” says Bernard Pinatel, president, Refining & Chemicals, Total.