Borouge and Borealis strengthen wire and cable biz

Borouge and Borealis, providers of innovative, value-creating plastics solutions, are strengthening their global leadership in the wire and cable industry through two major Borlink investment projects – the recently announced expansion of the crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) production facilities in Stenungsund and the ongoing Borouge 3 project in Abu Dhabi. These two projects would ensure the availability of high-quality compounds required for the most demanding applications in power cables globally.
After Borealis’ significant investment into a highly advanced high pressure low density polyethylene plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, inaugurated in 2010, Borealis is now investing in an XLPE capacity increase at the Stenungsund plant. This investment, which increases overall capacity by 20 kilotonnes, is being applied directly to Borlink extra high voltage (EHV), high voltage direct current (HVDC) and high voltage (HV) polyethylene compounds produced in closed or controlled loop processes.
Borouge is currently expanding its polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) manufacturing capacity in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, from 2 million to 4.5 million tonnes per year (t/y). This development is one of the largest and most integrated polyolefin expansions in the history of the petrochemical industry and is positioning Borouge among the top producers in the Middle East. The wire and cable industry will reap the concrete benefits of this growth with relevant grades produced at a 350,000 t/y high pressure, low density polyethylene (LDPE) plant, a significant addition similar to Borealis’ LDPE plant in Sweden.
“The present Borouge development enables our customers in the Middle East and Asia in particular to benefit from the great product performance and high productivity levels delivered by our super clean XLPE compounds as well as the reactor-made Visico XLPE base resin. This will also allow our customers to be served regionally by our Ruwais-produced Borlink XLPE compounds,” says Roland Janssen, Borouge Vice President Marketing Centre Wire and Cable.