PARIS: The Hanwha Total Petrochemical (HTC) joint venture is commissioning a new polypropylene line at the Daesan integrated refining and petrochemical complex in South Korea, adding a further 60% to its production capacity, which now totals 1.1 million tons a year, a news release said.

At the same time, the start‑up of a fourth propane furnace will increase ethylene production capacity by 10% to 1.5 million tons a year.

These projects were carried out safely and successfully, and were completed on time and on budget. They mark the culmination of investments totaling $1.3 billion, announced in 2017 and 2018, to expand production capacity at the Daesan complex. They also take advantage of abundant, cost-advantaged propane feedstock from the United States.

The new polypropylene line, with a capacity of 400,000 tons a year, will enable Daesan to supply both the Korean market and export markets, particularly China. It will enable the manufacturing of high-value-added, durable goods for specialty applications such as underfloor heating pipes and automotive parts, helping reduce the weight of vehicles.

HTC has also launched a new polypropylene compound line2 at its Dongguan site in southern China, which will enable the joint venture to develop specific grades containing recycled polymers, in partnership with its customers, as HTC’s contribution to Total’s ambition of producing 30% recycled polymers by 2030.

 “The successful completion of these projects in South Korea is an excellent illustration of our strategy of meeting growing global demand for polymers, especially for durable applications, by focusing investments on our world-class complexes. In the case of Daesan, we also leverage competitively priced feedstock and monomer-polymer integration,” said Bernard Pinatel, President of Refining & Chemicals at Total.

Daesan is one of Total’s six world-class integrated complexes and a strategic asset for both shareholders. It comprises a flexible condensate splitter, a competitive steam cracker and units producing polymers, styrene and aromatics.

Hanwha Group, founded in 1952, is a global leader in a broad range of businesses spanning the spectrum of the manufacturing, construction, finance, services and leisure industries. Hanwha Group consists of 80 domestic affiliates and 469 global networks, as of December 31, 2020. www.total.com