BASF expands steam cracker in Antwerp

BASF will invest nearly $250 million to expand the capacity of its naphtha steam cracker in Antwerp, Belgium. The expansion will be accomplished during the next regular turnaround of the plant, scheduled for the fall of 2007. Capacity will be boosted from 800,000 metric tons to 1.08 million metric tons per year, making the plant the largest single-train steam cracker in Europe, BASF says. "We carefully evaluated our internal demand developments and the external market situation for cracker products and came to the conclusion that 2007 is the right time for the expansion," adds Werner Pr?torius, president of BASF's petrochemical division.