February 9, 2006 – Borealis AB has selected Basell’s Lupotech T technology for a new 350 KT per year LDPE plant intended to be built at Stenungsund, Sweden. The new plant would replace 350 KT of older capacity as part of a scrap and build project. Start up is expected in 2009.

“Lupotech T is a highly flexible, commercially proven technology,” said Just Jansz, president of Basell’s Technology Business. The Lupotech T process is particularly well suited for the production of resins used by customers for general purpose and specialty film applications as well as resins used in small blow molding and wire and cable.”

Borealis already operates two Lupotech T process plants in Austria, as well as five Spheripol process plants licensed by Basell and its predecessors with a combined annual capacity of over 1.2 million tonnes.

Lupotech T is a high pressure tubular reactor process for the production of LDPE homopolymers and EVA-copolymers. With 22 Lupotech T plants operating world-wide and another 8 plants in construction for a total of 5.5 million tonnes per year of licensed capacity Lupotech T has placed itself at the forefront of the high pressure technology industry.

During the past 24 months, Basell has licensed more than 10 million tonnes of new polypropylene and polyethylene capacity worldwide.

Basell’s complete portfolio of licensed technologies is comprised of:

• Spheripol – polypropylene technology for the production of homopolymer, random and heterophasic copolymers.
• Spherizone – latest generation polypropylene technology based on new multi-zone reactor technology.
• Spherilene – swing gas phase process for the production of LLDPE, MDPE and HDPE.
• Hostalen - low-pressure slurry process for the production of bi-modal HDPE.
• Lupotech T – high pressure tubular reactor process for the production of LDPE and EVA copolymers.

Basell also produces and commercialises advanced catalyst systems which are sold under the Avant trademark.

Basell is the world's largest producer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefin products, a leading supplier of polyethylene and catalysts, and a global leader in the development and licensing of polypropylene and polyethylene processes. Basell, together with its joint ventures, has manufacturing facilities around the world and sells products in more than 120 countries. Additional information about Basell is available at www.basell.com.

For more information contact Chantal Sohm, Basell Corporate Communications, at
+33 1 55 51 21 19 or chantal.sohm@basell.com