Korean plant to increase production capacity for polyolefin materials by 43% 

Riyadh – Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic) is expanding the production of advanced polyolefin materials in South Korea in response to increasing demand.

The Saudi company has partnered up with SK Geo Centric (formerly SK Global Chemicals) for the KRW200 billion (€150 million) project at an existing production facility in Ulsan, South Korea.

As part of the deal, the partners' joint venture company Sabic SK Nexlene Co. (SSNC) will expand production of polyolefin materials at Ulsan using SK's metallocene process technology.

The plant currently manufactures 230 kilotonnes per annum of olefinic polymers, including metallocene polyolefin plastomers and metallocene linear low density polyethylenes.

Set for operation in the second quarter of 2024, the expansion project will increase the plant’s total capacity by 43% to 300ktpa, SK announced 23 Aug.

The extra output, it said, will help meet demand for customised materials in high-end market segments, such as photovoltaics, new-mobility, footwear and advanced packaging.

Nexlene is a polyolefin technology developed by SK Geo Centric in 2010 using ethylene as raw material.

The technology combines a bimodal solution process with a metallocene catalyst to yield ethylene-based copolymers with tailored molecular weight distribution and modality.

You can sign up here for free to receive the ERJ Daily Newsletter.