Basell　エチレン

2006/12/22 Basell

Basell purchases Munchsmunster, Germany cracker from BP-PdVSA joint venture

Basell announced today that it has purchased the cracker at the Munchsmunster, Germany petrochemical site from Ruhr Oel GmbH (ROG), a joint venture between Deutsche BP and PdVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company. The transaction, which includes sales agreements and assets associated with the cracker, has been approved by the European Commission.
(Ruhr Oel has two sites - Gelsenkirchen and Münchsmünster. Supplies come predominantly from the oil-refining facilities of Ruhr Oel.)

“This is a strategically important acquisition for Basell because it secures the supply of ethylene for the new Hostalen Advanced Cascade Process (ACP) high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant we are building at Munchsmunster and also strengthens Basell's position in propylene and other cracker products,” said Volker Trautz, President and CEO of Basell.

Basell’s new HDPE plant in Munchsmunster, which is scheduled to start up in early 2009, will replace the plant that was damaged by an explosion and fire in December 2005. The new plant will have an initial capacity of 120 KT and will accommodate future expansion to 150 KT.

“We believe that the Munchsmunster plant is an important part of the Bavarian chemical industry,” said Patrick Dixon, Chairman of the Executive Board, BP Refining & Petrochemicals (BP RP, operator of the ROG JV). “However, BP has sold most of its olefins and polyolefins business to Ineos, and PdVSA does not have any other olefins and polyolefins activities in Europe beyond the Gelsenkirchen-Scholven assets. ROG therefore believes that it is more logical for a company with a strong interest in the chemicals industry in the Bavarian region to own the Munchsmunster cracker.”

Basell is the largest producer of polyethylene in Europe, with plants in Germany, France, the UK and Poland, where it is a partner in the Basell Orlen Polyolefins joint venture.

Earlier this year, to strengthen the company’s ethylene integration, Basell acquired the remaining 50% interest in Societe du Craqueur de l’Aubette (SCA) from its former partner in the French cracker joint venture, Shell Petrochimie Mediterranee.

“Competitive feedstock is a defining factor in our industry and the cracker in Munchsmunster further fortifies our PE business in Europe,” said Trautz.

In addition to its polyethylene activities, Basell is also the world's largest producer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefin products, a leading supplier of catalysts, and a global leader in the development and licensing of polypropylene and polyethylene processes. Basell, together with its joint ventures, has manufacturing facilities around the world and sells products in more than 120 countries. Additional information about Basell is available at www.basell.com.

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European polymer producer Basell has purchased the 342,000 mt/year cracker at Muenchsmuenster, Germany from Ruhr Oel GmbH (ROG), a joint venture between BP's German arm and PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, Basell announced Friday. The transaction, which includes sales agreements and assets associated with the cracker, has been approved by the European Commission.

Basell's Muenchsmuenster HDPE plant was rocked by an explosion December 10 2005, forcing the company to source HDPE from elsewhere. After the closure of that HDPE plant, the cracker was running at 70% reduced rates up to the present day.

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Basell Orlen Polyolefins Sp. z o.o. (BOP), a joint venture company formed in March 2003, by PKN ORLEN S.A and Basell Europe Holdings B.V, and each hold 50 percent share in BOP, which was established with a Euro217 million investment from PKN ORLEN and Basell, the world’s largest producer of polypropylene.

Further, a bank credit line was approved in 2003 with a Eruo350 million investment firmly establishing strong project financing and secure funding for future manufacturing sites.

Deutsche BP

The origins of Veba Oil Refining & Petrochemicals GmbH and its petrochemicals segment date back to the establishment of the Scholven Hydrogenation Plant on the Hibernia site in 1935.

As a large supplier of olefins in north-west Europe BP RP has the operatorship of the petrochemicals plants in Gelsenkirchen and Münchsmünster, which are operated jointly by Deutsche BP and its partner, the Venezuelan oil company PdVSA. Supplies come predominantly from the oil-refining facilities of Ruhr Oel.

The setting up of Ruhr Oel GmbH in 1983 by Veba Oel AG and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.

With the establishment of Veba Oil Refining & Petrochemicals GmbH with effect from January 1st, 2000, all of Veba Oel's supply, refining and petrochemicals activities were brought together under one roof.

The October 1, 2002 acquisition of Veba Oel AG by BP (from E.ON) did not change the business goals or activities of VORP. VORP's Joint Venture Assets with the ROG system were transferred to Deutsche BP on January 1, 2003. VORP is since then the contractual operator for BP and PdVSA in the ROG system.

◎　Scholven-Chemie→VEBA Chemie →　Degussaが買収→Degussaの株主のE.ONがBPにVeba Oel の製油・石油化学部門を売却

2005/12/22

Shell to sell 50% stake in Société du Craqueur de l'Aubette to Basell

Shell Chemicals companies and Basell signed agreements for the sale of Shell Petrochimie Mediterranee's (SPM) 50% share in Société du Craqueur de l'Aubette (SCA) to Basell. SCA owns the ethylene cracker at Berre in southern France and Basell currently holds 50% of the SCA shares. Once the transaction is completed, the cracker will be wholly-owned by Basell.
 
As part of the agreement, Basell will also acquire the butadiene business of Shell at Berre, including the butadiene assets, as well as logistic assets associated with the cracker operation in Aubette, Berre and Fos.
 
SPM will continue to operate the cracker, logistic assets and butadiene plant under the terms of the relevant operating agreements with Basell.
 
The transaction is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities and other customary closing conditions. Completion of the transaction is expected at the end of 2005.  

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It has also been focusing on back-integration into raw materials. "For its European polyethylene business, Basell wants to achieve more than 85% back-integration into feedstocks," the spokeswoman says. To this end, the company is planning to expand ethylene capacity in Wesseling, Germany, by about 280,000 metric tons per year and seeks to buy out Shell Chemicals' share in the cracker joint venture in Aubette, France.　(Chemical Engineering News September 12, 2005 )

2007/8/2 Basell

Basell makes offer to acquire Shell’s oil refinery at the Berre l’Etang petroch. complex in France

Basell and Societe de Petroles Shell SAS announced today that Basell has made an offer to buy the Shell oil refinery and associated infrastructure and businesses at the Berre l'Etang petrochemical complex in France. Subject to staff council consultation, review and approval from regulatory authorities and agreement on the sale and purchase documents, the transaction is expected to close early 2008. A purchase price of $700 million has been agreed.
With world-scale polypropylene and polyethylene plants, a steam cracker and butadiene extraction unit at the same site and a polyethylene plant at nearby Fos sur Mer, Basell is currently the largest customer of the Shell refinery. The refinery’s products include naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), fuels for a variety of applications, bitumen and heating oil.
approximately 1,500 Shell employees at the site will transfer to Basell (of this 1,500, about 500 already work for Basell’s site activities).

Basell の欧州のエチレン能力は以下の通り。

2006/12/25　Basell、ドイツのナフサクラッカー買収

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2007/8/2 Shell

Royal Dutch Shell progresses sale of its Berre-l'Etang refinery site complex

As part of an ongoing strategy of portfolio management, Société des Pétroles Shell (Shell) has received an offer for the sale of its Berre-l'Etang refinery site complex and associated infrastructure and businesses to Basell.  A purchase price of $700 million has been agreed.

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Feb 4, 2008　Reuters

EU clears Basell to buy French refinery from Shell

Privately held Basell won permission from the European Commission on Monday to buy the Berre-l'Etang refinery in France from Royal Dutch Shell for $700 million.