Citing “difficult market conditions,” BP (HQ: GB-London EC2M 7BA; www.bp.com) has announced plans to close its nearly 30 year old LDPE plant at Wilton / UK. The 100,000 t/y unit built in 1973 by ICI and acquired in 1982 by BP, is no longer competitive, the UK oil and chemicals group said. Some 81 employees will be affected by the shutdown, which is to take place in early October. At the beginning of August, BP issued a profit warning due to high operative losses in the second quarter and said it planned to cut capacity and reduce capital spending in chemicals.

The outlook for LDPE consumption in the industrialised countries is for stagnation at best or decline over the next several years (see Plasteurope.com 13 , 2001, “Polyethylene”). BP, too, evidently is placing more emphasis on LLDPE. Last year it started up a 300,000 t/y plant at Grangemouth. In Europe, the UK group will produce LDPE in future only at the 350,000 t/y plant at Dormagen, Germany, of Erdölchemie, in which it now owns a 100% interest. BP also operates a 180,000 t/y LLDPE plant at Dormagen. The group said it will be able to continue serving its LDPE customers from Dormagen, and also intends to continue supplying its masterbatch grades.