Total has inaugurated the new units at its Antwerp integrated refining and petrochemicals platform (photo: Michel LABELLE/Total)

Total has inaugurated the new units at its Antwerp integrated refining and petrochemicals platform, which have progressively started up in the last few months. This event marks the completion of the upgrade program launched in 2013 of one of the largest and most efficient integrated refining & petrochemicals platforms in Europe. Thus, the company has invested more than EUR 1 billion to further improve the competitiveness of this major site located in the heart of Europe’s main markets.

Two key projects were completed:

•  An investment in a new refining complex was approved for the conversion of more heavy fuel oil into low-sulfur light products.
  • A deasphalting unit and a hydrocracker were built to increase the production of clean and high-value-added products.
  • The new refining complex will reduce the high-sulphur heavy fuel oil yield, in anticipation of the new marine fuel regulation that will take effect in 2020.
• Steam cracker flexibility has been increased to maximise the processing of low cost advantaged feedstock. Steam cracking is a petrochemical process that uses petroleum or gas derivatives to produce monomers (ethylene and propylene), bases for the plastics industry (polyethylene and polypropylene):
  • A new unit was built to convert rich gases produced by the refinery into cracker feedstock.
  • One of the two steam crackers and site logistics has been adapted to import and process ethane.

“This major project is a perfect example of our strategy, which is to constantly strengthen the industrial competitiveness of our major integrated platforms to position them among the industry’s best,” explains Bernard Pinatel, President, Total Refining & Chemicals. “It also illustrates our ambition in petrochemicals, where we aim to capitalise on the market’s growth by processing low-cost feedstock. Antwerp’s steam crackers will now be able to process up to 60% advantaged feedstock derived from gas, which are cheaper than naphtha, derived from oil.”

Total also announced a logistics project last August to connect the platform to the neighboring storage terminal via a new pipeline and the expansion of the terminal’s capacities to maximise product value.

Tags: Total