Total has approved a €1bn modernization project for its Antwerp production facilities, in line with the Group’s strategy of focusing its investment on its large integrated platforms to position them among the most competitive of the industry. Two major projects will be implemented in the near future:
- A new refinery upgrading complex, consisting of a solvent de-asphalting unit and a mild hydrocracking unit. Intended primarily to convert heavy fuel oil into desulphurized diesel and ultra low sulfur heating oil, the planned complex responds to the shift in demand toward products with a lower environmental impact. The facility is scheduled to start up in early 2016.
- A new plant to convert low value refinery fuel gases into low cost petrochemical feedstock, replacing expensive oil-based naphtha. By further enhancing the integration between the platform’s refining and petrochemical units, this project will increase the competitiveness of the latter. The facility is scheduled to start up in early 2017.
In the framework of this modernization plan, the smallest and oldest steam cracker, currently idled for lack of markets, will be permanently stopped and dismantled.