SLOVAKIA's biggest crude oil refinery, Slovnaft, has laid the foundation stone for an Sk5 billion (€121.4 million) polypropylene production unit. This is the most significant technological project in the ongoing modernization of the petrochemical portion of Slovnaft's refinery.
The annual capacity of the new line will be 255,000 tons of propylene for application in foils, fibres, injection-moulded products for the automotive industry, and consumer products, news wire SITA reported.
German company Linde KCA Dresden GmbH is the main contractor supplying the technological facilities. An integral part of the contract is a license for UNIPOL PP Process technology from the US Dow Chemicals Company from Danbury, Connecticut. The technology will enable the production of a wide spectrum of homopolymers and ethylene-propylene copolymers.
The project will strengthen the regional polymer alliance between Slovnaft and Hungarian chemical company TVK within the central European group MOL.
Hungarian oil and gas company MOL controls 70 percent of Slovnaft, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development holds 8.3 percent.