Chevron Phillips Chemical Expands Mercaptan Capacity in Europe

THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS - Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC (Chevron Phillips Chemical) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned affiliate, Chevron Phillips Chemicals International N.V. (Chevron Phillips Chemical NV), is expanding its Tessenderlo, Belgium facility. The expansion includes an on-purpose hydrogen sulfide (H2S) unit and additional sulfur-based products capacity to better serve our customers and meet their growing demands. Construction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2014. In preparation for the upgrade, the Tessenderlo plant added a new state-of-the-art control room in September 2013.

The expansion will allow Chevron Phillips Chemical NV to better serve its worldwide customer portfolio as the demand for synthetic rubbers and plastics increases.  Production capacity at the site will increase by more than 40 percent as a result of this expansion.

“Demand for organosulfur products is expected to continue to grow, particularly for those materials used as chain transfer agents like tertiary dodecyl mercaptan or TDM,” said Peter Bastemeijer, Product Line Manager for Specialty Chemicals in Europe. “Chevron Phillips Chemical NV is increasing capacity in order to respond to customer needs throughout the world, especially in Europe and Asia.”

Chevron Phillips Chemical NV’s Tessenderlo facility produces chemical intermediates, including mercaptans, sulfides, polysulfides and Scentinel® gas odorants that are used in agricultural chemicals, pharmaceuticals, modifiers in rubber and plastics and the odorization of propane and natural gas. Chevron Phillips Chemical produces a similar line of products at its facility in Borger, Texas.

Chevron Phillips Chemicals International N.V. has three production facilities in Belgium including a specialty chemicals plant in Tessenderlo, an engineering polymers compounding unit in Kallo-Beveren and a polyalphaolefins plant in Beringen.