Basell’s new, state-of-the-art HDPE plant in Wesseling, Germany has been successfully started up.

The world-scale, 320 KT, low-pressure slurry process plant, based on Basell’s latest generation Hostalen Advanced Cascade Process (ACP) technology, is now producing high-performance multimodal grades for customers in the pipe and blow moulding markets. The grades are sold under the Hostalen trademark.

“The start-up of the plant represents a very important step for our polyethylene business,” said Werner Breuers, president of Basell Polyolefins Europe. “It allows Basell to play an expanded role in two value-added markets, which are of strategic importance to us.”

For demanding customer applications such as drinking water, sewage and gas distribution pipes, Hostalen resins can provide a unique combination of stiffness and environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR).

Customers report that pipes produced with Hostalen resins exhibit high corrosion resistance, are light weight and easy and cost-effective to handle and install. With pipe grades such as Hostalen GM 5010 T 3 (PE 80) and Hostalen CRP 100 (PE 100) customers can produce pipes that facilitate modern, trenchless installations, and are available in colours such as black and blue.

The new generation of multimodal Hostalen HDPE blow moulding grades is characterized by an outstanding stiffness-ESCR combination that provides a high potential for weight- reduced bottles, jerry cans and drums without losing performance. As weight is reduced, the potential for cycle time reductions also increases significantly. In addition, the new Hostalen resins used in customers’ drum applications show good impact strength at lower temperatures as well as excellent processing behaviour.

According to Sergio Danesi, president of Basell’s Advanced Polyolefins Business, “The latest process, catalyst and compounding technologies used in the new plant will enable us to provide customers with the high-performance materials they depend upon to meet extremely challenging application needs.”

A plant based on the same technology is currently under construction at Basell Orlen Polyolefins, a Basell joint venture in Plock, Poland, with start up scheduled for the third quarter of 2005.

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 additional information, contact: Michelle Talmo, Basell Corporate Communications, at +1 302 438 6574, +1 410 996 1366 or michelle.talmo@basell.com. For Hostalen resins data sheets and more product information, please visit www.basell.com, or contact your local Basell sales representative (sales office information can also be found on www.basell.com).