Borealis sets investment milestones for the development of its Porvoo location

07-01-2010: Borealis strengthens its long-term commitment to the production site in Porvoo, Finland with a 10 year contract with Neste Oil to supply feedstock and further investment in the site’s innovation capabilities. The contract between Neste Oil and Borealis covers all feedstock and product streams between the Neste Oil refinery and Borealis’ production plants in Porvoo as well as related logistics services. The 10-year contract continues the co-operation of both companies in the areas of asset development and business optimisation as well as Health, Safety and Environment (HSE).

“This contract is an important milestone for us,” emphasises Borealis Chief Executive Mark Garrett. “As we have secured the feedstock supply and refinery integration, we can continue to develop our Porvoo facilities into the future and benefit from the close co-operation within the chemical cluster.”

To further develop its innovation capabilities in Porvoo, Borealis is investing a total of 5 million EUR in the existing Borstar® pilot plant. The investment includes the addition of new hardware and will enable the company to further develop its proprietary Borstar technology, a cornerstone of Borealis’ success in the polyolefins business and backbone of the company’s innovation strategy. The investment increases the range of innovative products from Porvoo to include PE125 pipe material, enhanced LLDPE film and specialities for high density film and moulding products. The pilot plant enhancements will lead to better product homogeneity, higher melt strength and increased product purity.

This investment ties in with a EUR 10 million investment in the new Aurora building for catalyst and process research which was completed in 2008 resulting in a more centralised and efficient operation and providing increased capacity and new work culture.