Arak Petrochemical Company (APC) of Iran and Basell have signed two expansion and technology license agreements to increase the capacity of two existing APC polyolefin plants that use Basell manufacturing process technologies. APC, an affiliate of National Petrochemical Company of Iran, was the first company in Iran to license Basell technologies.

The capacity of the APC polypropylene plant that uses Basell's Spheripol process will be increased by 50% and its product portfolio will also be expanded to cover additional market needs, according to APC. The expansion will be carried out in collaboration with Tecnimont S.p.A. of Italy and Tecnimont's Iranian partner, Nargan Engineering.

The capacity of the APC polyethylene plant that uses Basell's Hostalen process will be increased by 40%, according to APC. German engineering contractor Uhde will do the basic design, with implementation to be carried out by Uhde's local partner, Sazeh.

Both plants are located in Arak, about 300 kilometers south of Tehran.

"This decision by Arak Petrochemicals to invest in their existing plants demonstrates APC's confidence in the extendability and attractiveness of the new features of Basell's polyolefins technologies," said Kaspar Evertz, Basell senior vice president for Licensing & Technology Transfer. "The total aggregated production capacity for polyolefins in operation and under construction in Iran, based on Basell Technology, exceeds 2,000,000 tonnes per year."

In addition to developing and licensing a full range of polyolefin processes, Basell is the world's largest producer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefins products and a leading supplier of polyethylene and catalysts. Basell, including its joint ventures, has sales in more than 120 countries. The company's Internet address is www.basell.com.

For additional information contact Basell's Licensing organisation at licensing@basell.com, or Michelle Talmo, Basell Corporate Communications, +1 410 996 1366 or +1 302 438 6574, or michelle.talmo@basell.com.