Borealis invests in polypropylene

Polyolefins maker Borealis is investing about $115 million in expansions and upgrades for its European polypropylene business. The company will spend roughly $30 million to expand capacity in Porvoo, Finland, by 40% to 220,000 metric tons per year by 2008. Borealis will spend about $45 million to install a new polypropylene reactor in Schwechat, Austria, by 2009. A four-reactor configuration there will allow the plant to make products for the automotive, pipe, and advanced packaging industries. Also at Schwechat, the company will spend $40 million on a four-reactor pilot plant to develop multimodal polypropylene grades.