INEOS Advances German and U.K. Chemical Projects

---

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Chemicals major INEOS has signed contracts worth £300 million ($365 million) for two major projects in Germany and the U.K.

INEOS Phenol has announced its intention to spend £150 million to build a "world-scale cumene unit at Marl" that will make use of existing pipeline connections between INEOS' phenol and acetone production in Gladbeck, the Evonik Chemiepark site in Marl and the BP refinery and cracker complex in Gelsenkirchen. It also has kicked off plans for a £150 million processing plant at subsidiary INEOS Oxide's manufacturing site at Saltend, near Hull, in the U.K., by signing a contract with Fluor Corporation (NYSE:FLR) to provide front-end engineering and design (FEED).

The new 750,000-tonne Marl cumene unit, which will be commissioned in 2021, will benefit from the greater efficiency by integrating raw materials from the refinery and cracker complex. It also will benefit from the Marl harbour waterway connection. INEOS Phenol stated that it is the world's largest producer of phenol and acetone and the largest consumer of cumene, which is an essential raw material. It said that the new unit will guarantee future security of supply.

"We are very pleased to be making this important feedstock investment in our European business," said Hans Casier, chief executive officer of INEOS Phenol. "Our customers should be confident that we are investing in our business to meet their long-term business needs."

Jörg Harren, Evonik's site manager at Chemiepark Marl, added: "It is a great pleasure that the Chemiepark Marl will host this world-scale, state-of-the-art facility. The plant is of utmost importance for the Verbund structure of the entire chemical cluster of the northern Ruhr Area".

In the U.K., Fluor's FEED work will establish the design basis and technology selection for the Hull plant with associated cost and schedule estimates. Once completed, the plant will produce 300,000 tonnes/year of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), a key component for laminated wind screens, toughened glass, adhesives, films, coatings and textiles.

Earlier this year, Industrial Info reported on plans by INEOS to spend £1 billion ($1.32 billion) on three key projects in the U.K.--one of which is the Hull VAM project. For additional information, see August 13, 2019, article - INEOS To Spend $1.32 Billion on New U.K. Projects.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.