Elkton, Maryland, April 29, 2003 – The regional office of Basell North America has been moved from Wilmington, Delaware to an expanded complex in Elkton that currently is the site of the company’s North American research & development center.

"The decision to consolidate in Elkton will provide opportunities for enhanced collaboration and closer working relationships between the R&D staff and the employees of the Polyolefins Business," said Chuck Platz, president of Basell North America. Basell is the largest producer of polypropylene in North America.The Elkton site, located about 20 miles south of the former Wilmington regional office, has been expanded and renovated to accommodate the additional staff, and includes an office layout that focuses on an open office design that promotes employee interaction; a safe and aesthetically attractive work environment and state-of-the-art electronic office systems.

The address is 912 Appleton Road, Elkton, MD 21921, USA. The main phone number is +1 410-996-1600.

Basell develops, produces and markets polypropylene, polyethylene, advanced polyolefin materials and polyolefin catalysts, and also develops and licenses polyolefin processes. Basell's corporate center is located in Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; in addition to Elkton, the company has regional offices in Brussels, Belgium; Mainz, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Hong Kong, as well as manufacturing facilities and sales offices in the major markets around the globe.

For additional information contact Michelle Talmo of Basell’s Corporate Communications Department at
+1 410 996 1366 or michelle.talmo@basell.com