BASF, one of the world’s leading chemical companies, has announced it is considering investment in a world-scale methane-to-propylene complex on the US Gulf Coast.
The plant would produce propylene to help supply the company’s North American operations and would help take advantage of low gas prices as a result of the shale gas production. If BASF goes ahead with the investment, it will be the company’s largest single-plant investment to date.
The new plant would just be part of BASF’s plans to strengthen its propylene-based downstream activities and gaining a stronger market position in the US. Propylene is an important basic chemical in the petrochemical industry as it is used in a variety of products from coatings to superabsorbent polymers.