Venezuela's polypropylene producer Propilven is considering an expansion project and a new line at its Ana Maria Campos petrochemical complex, a source with knowledge of company operations said Monday.
"The short-term project under consideration would increase production from 144,000 mt to approximately 170,000 mt," the source said.
Propilven's polypropylene production located in Northwestern Venezuela is currently at 144,000 mt/year, according to Platts data.
State-owned Propilven currently produces homopolymer, impact copolymer and random copolymer grades.
"The longer-term project we are considering is a new production line with a 300,000 mt capacity," the source said.
The project would be slated for 2022-2023 at the earliest.
Venezuela is net short polypropylene, with Propilven accounting for 120,000-125,000 mt of production, according to sources with the company. Importing polypropylene into Venezuela has been difficult throughout 2015, due to economic woes and currency devaluations, market sources said.
State-owned petrochemical company Petroquimica de Venezuela S.A. -- or Pequiven -- holds a controlling stake of 49.4% in Propilven.
