Manufacturing
SABIC Europe's three petrochemical production sites in Geleen (the Netherlands), Teesside (United Kingdom) and Gelsenkirchen (Germany) produce polyethylenes, polypropylenes, and chemicals and intermediates.
Geleen
Home to two naphtha crackers and several polymerization plants for the production of polyethylene and polypropylene, SABIC Europe's production site in Geleen is definitely world-class.
SABIC Europe's facilities in Geleen occupy some 40% of the aptly named "Chemelot" site.
Geleen produces a large volume of ethylene C2 (1.250), propylene C3 (725), polyethylene (940), and polypropylene (620) (all figures NPC ktpa). The site forms a major stop on pipelines that originate in Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam on the Dutch coast to Germany. Geleen's output is used in the automotive, luggage, and food packaging industries, to name a few.
Teesside
At the end of 2006, SABIC acquired petrochemical facilities at the Wilton International and North Tees chemical complexes in Teesside.
This manufacturing business operates a world-scale cracker at Wilton with capacities of 865 ktpa ethylene/ 400 ktpa propylene/ 100 ktpa butadiene cracker. There is also a 430 ktpa paraxylene facility at Wilton, which is closely integrated with a 1300 ktpa Aromatics facility at North Tees.
There are also substantial logistical facilities at Wilton and North Tees, including major storage capacity, a cross-country pipelines network, and substantial distribution and shipping services.
SABIC is currently completing the construction of a new 400 ktpa capacity low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant at Wilton, Teesside. It is scheduled to come on stream in the first half of 2008.
Gelsenkirchen
In Gelsenkirchen, SABIC Europe produces several grades of polyethylene and polypropylene. Olefin feedstocks are mainly provided by cracking capacity on site (BP), and by the Northwest European ARG-pipeline from SABIC Europe's naphtha crackers in Geleen.
SABIC Europe's facilities occupy about 20% of the 480-hectare site in Gelsenkirchen, which is shared with Ruhr Oel (a joint venture set up by Deutsche BP) and the state-run Venezuelan oil company PdVSA.
In 2006, SABIC Gelsenkirchen produced about 900,000 tons of polyethylene and polypropylene (a 50/50 split), a figure that is expected to reach 960,000 tons in 2007. These polymers are used in various applications, such as pipes and sheets, as well as automotive parts, housewares, and appliances.
