Ineos is intending to shut two of its three polypropylene lines at Sarralbe in France as part of its plans to reshape its European polyolefins business.
The company said in a statement: “The two slurry lines have become unsustainable due to feedstock issues and their exposure to grades/markets unable to provide sufficient returns through the cycle.”
PP production on the 165,000tpa Line 2 is expected to cease by the end of 2008. By then, supplies for key customers will have moved to the group’s plants in Lavera, France and Grangemouth, Scotland, which have both been subject to debottlenecking programmes.
PP production on the 50,000tpa Line 1 is set to finish by the end of 2009. Key customers will be transitioned to the Ineos plant at Geel, where copolymer capacity will be increased by 220,000tpa to 500,000tpa during 2009.
Ineos said the Sarralbe facility will continue to produce PP on the 65,000tpa Line 3 and HDPE on lines which have combined capacity of 200,000tpa. These “remain strategic to the business, with unique technology enabling a strong portfolio of differentiated products”, said Ineos.
