INEOS to build flagship 750,000 tonne/year cumene plant in Marl, Germany

INEOS is to develop a 750,000 tonne/year cumene plant in Marl, Germany, to be completed in 2021, the Switzerland-headquartered chemicals producer said on Thursday.

The world-scale new unit is expected to utilise pipeline connections between the Evonik Chempark in Marl, INEOS’ phenol/acetone production site in Gladbeck, Germany, and the BP refinery and cracker complex in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, integrating raw materials supply up and downstream.

Product from the plant will be delivered to INEOS’ phenol and acetone plants in Gladbeck and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as meeting anticipated future customer demand.

“Our customers should be confident that we are investing in our business to meet their long-term business needs,” said Hans Casier, CEO of INEOS Phenol.

The feedstock capacity investment helps to maintain the cohesion of the chemicals production supply chain in northwestern Europe, according to Jorg Harren, who manages the Marl Chemiepark.

“The plant is of utmost importance for the Verbund structure of the entire chemical cluster of the northern Ruhr Area,” he said.

The project is the latest in a spate of large-scale new investment announcements INEOS has made in recent months, including a $2bn investment to build its first ever plants in Saudi Arabia, £500m in the UK’s Forties pipeline system, a €2.7bn new cracker in Antwerp, and a 520,000 tonne/year ethylene oxide plant in Texas.