Borealis is implementing the next stage of its strategy related to the transition towards a circular economy by announcing an investment of EUR 4.5 million in the furnaces of the steam cracker at the olefins unit in Porvoo, Finland. The upgrade will increase the share of renewable and recycled feedstocks in the production of base chemicals, ethylene and propylene, in the integrated petrochemical complex in Porvoo. The investment programme has already been launched and its completion is scheduled for 2025. The project in Porvoo follows the cracker furnace upgrade carried out last year at the Borealis plant in Stenungsund, Sweden.
Scope of investment in the Porvoo steam cracker
The steam cracker in Porvoo has an installed production capacity of 430 kt of ethylene and 263 kt of propylene per year. The plant is used for thermal cracking of feedstocks such as naphtha, propane, butane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) into smaller molecules. The key components of every cracker installation are the furnaces, where high temperature processes take place and which determine the efficiency and feedstock flexibility of the plant.
Under the announced investment, three of the ten cracker furnaces in the olefins unit will be modified to enable a total annual production of 120 kt of base chemicals based on renewable and recycled feedstocks. The furnace modifications are intended to adapt the plant to process feeds with a different property profile than conventional fossil fractions while maintaining the quality parameters of ethylene and propylene.
Renewable and recycled feedstocks and ISCC PLUS certification
In Porvoo, Borealis produces base chemicals based on renewable and chemically recycled feedstocks that are certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC PLUS). This is a voluntary certification scheme covering the entire supply chain, based on mass balance. The certification confirms compliance with high environmental requirements and enables reliable allocation of the share of renewable and recycled feedstocks to specific product streams.
The use of renewable and chemically recycled feedstocks in the steam cracker requires adaptation of the process infrastructure, including furnaces, to varying feed compositions and different process characteristics. The announced investment strengthens the capabilities of the Porvoo plant in this area and is in line with the long term Borealis strategy to increase the share of circular feedstocks in its base chemicals portfolio.
Significance of the project for the Borealis strategy
The investment in Porvoo is part of the implementation of the Borealis 2030 Strategy, under which the company plans to gradually increase the share of renewable and recycled feedstocks in base chemicals production. The upgrade of the steam cracker furnaces in the integrated petrochemical complex is intended to support the transformation of the business model towards a circular economy while maintaining supply continuity and the technical parameters of products for customers in the chemical and plastics sectors.
As Wolfram Krenn, Executive Vice President Operations and Base Chemicals at Borealis, emphasises: "By focusing on reinventing essentials for sustainable living, our EUR 4.5 million investment in our steam cracker in Porvoo moves us closer towards a future of circular economy transformation. Through strategic furnace modifications and a commitment to renewable and chemically recycled base chemicals, we are poised to elevate annual production to 120 kilotons, forging a path of environmental stewardship and economic resilience."
The project in Porvoo, together with the previously completed cracker furnace upgrade in Stenungsund, shows the direction in which olefin production assets are being developed within the Borealis group. Increased feedstock flexibility and the ability to process renewable and recycled streams support the efforts of the company and its customers to reduce the carbon footprint and use secondary raw materials in the plastics and base chemicals value chain.
