Ineos awards FEED contract to SK E&C

Ineos has awarded the FEED contract for its PDH (propane dehydrogenation unit) at the centre of its EUR3 billion investment to be located at its Antwerp site in Belgium, to South Korea’s SK E&C

The 750,000 tonne/year-plant is due to come on stream in 2023.

John McNally, CEO Ineos Project One said: “The selection of SK E&C is a significant step-forward for the development of the project. Our decision is based on a thorough and rigorous assessment of the needs of the project and the expertise of the companies capable of designing state of the art, reliable and efficient PDH units. SK E&C are best placed to help us to apply leading edge technology to the design of a reliable PDH facility.”

The PDH process produces propylene by removing hydrogen from propane gas. The main use for propylene is PP, which is increasingly used in components to make cars lighter and more efficient. It is also used to produce acrylonitrile without which there would be no carbon fibre, which is increasingly important for transport, and for acrylic fibres for clothing. Propylene oxide which is also based on propylene is used in insulation foams for construction. The efficient production of hydrogen as a by-product is increasingly becoming a product of interest for future zero carbon fuel and energy systems for transportation.