Samsung Total Petrochemicals Company Ltd. has selected Basell’s Spherizone technology for a new 250 KT per year polypropylene plant it will build at Daesan, Korea. Start-up is planned for the end of 2007.  It is the first Spherizone license in Asia and the fifth worldwide.

“We’re pleased that Samsung Total will be the first licensee of the Spherizone process in the Asia Pacific region,” said Just Jansz, president of Basell’s Technology Business, who attended a signing ceremony in Seoul, Korea.  “For half a century, Basell and its predecessors have led the evolution of the global polyolefins industry by being in the forefront of the discovery, industrial commercialization and technological development of polypropylene as well as the licensing of polypropylene technologies. This new plant represents a key milestone for Spherizone.”

The Spherizone process is Basell’s newest polypropylene technology designed around the company’s patented multi-zone circulating reactor system which can produce bi-modal products in a single reactor. Basell began licensing the technology in 2003.

Tecnimont S.p.A. of Italy has been selected to prepare the basic design package; Samsung Engineering will do the detailed engineering.

Samsung Total intends to purchase catalysts for the plant from Basell.

In addition to the new Spherizone plant, Samsung Total plans to expand its cracker, build a metathesis unit and increase styrene capacity at the Daesan site.

Basell’s complete portfolio of licensed technologies includes:

• 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 and HDPE.
• Hostalen - low-pressure slurry process for the production of bimodal HDPE.
• Lupotech G – fluidised bed gas phase process for the production of HDPE and MDPE.
• 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 trade name.

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 Michelle Harrell, Basell Corporate Communications, at +1 410 996 1366, +1 302 438 6574 or michelle.harrell@basell.com