Indorama Ventures (IVL, Bangkok / Thailand; www.indoramaventures.com) plans to build an integrated facility in India for the production of PTA, PET and polyester staple fibre – see also Plasteurope.com of 23.12.2010. The producer said the world-scale facility will be a joint venture with Indo Rama Synthetics (India) Ltd (Gurgaon, Haryana / India; www.indoramaindia.com), and is estimated to cost USD 700m (EUR 538m).

The project is expected to have the capacity to produce 1m t/y of PTA, and will be integrated with a third party PX producer. Indorama Ventures said details of the capacity and location would be revealed once negotiations have been completed. According to local reports, start-up is expected in three years.

Aloke Lohia, CEO and founder of Indorama Ventures, said the plant will supply the fast-growing Indian market. “It is imperative that we are there to serve these customers and the emerging local producers who will be consuming more and more PET and PSF over the next decade,” he stated. “We are looking at the long term double digit growth in demand for such products and feel this is the right time to move into the market."

Indorama Ventures has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indo Rama Synthetics (India), which is led by Lohia’s brother OP Lohia, to create a joint venture that will build and use offtake from the facility. OP Lohia is Indo Rama Synthetics (India)’s chairman and managing director.

Indorama Ventures also announced plans to reorganise production at its polyester fibres and filaments company Trevira (Bobingen / Germany; www.trevira.com). Trevira’s texturising capacity will be moved from Zielona Góra / Poland to Guben / Germany, where it already has production facilities. The reorganisation, which is aimed at cutting costs, is expected to be completed by the end of 2012, IVL said.