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BP and Sasol Polymers have signed an agreement to license BP's Innovene polypropylene process technology for the expansion of Sasol's polypropylene facilities located in Secunda, Republic of South Africa. The new plant will have an annual capacity of 300,000 tonnes, produce homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers, and start up in 2006. Sasol will use BP's proprietary high activity CD catalyst to realize the full benefits of the technology.
"We are very pleased that Sasol Polymers elected to use Innovene technology to expand its well-established polypropylene business," said Gerald Maret, Licensing Area Commercial Manager for BP. "The Innovene gas phase technology has shown distinct advantages over others in terms of low capital cost, operating costs and product capabilities. The horizontal plug flow reactor configuration is a key element of the system, providing rapid product transitions and contributing to a high degree of product quality and consistency."
Execution of the Sasol license concludes a very active year for BP's polyolefins licensing business with successful plant start-ups in the People's Republic of China, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
Since 1996, BP has licensed about 2.2 million tonnes of annual Innovene polypropylene capacity of which 670,000 tonnes are now under construction.
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