INEOS Oligomers will build a new low viscosity Polyalphaolefin (PAO) unit, world’s largest single PAO train when ready, on the INEOS site at Chocolate Bayou, TX.  Scheduled to start operation in 3Q 2019, the new plant will boast of a capacity of 120 thousand metric tons per annum (ktpa).  

According to Joe Walton, Business Director, INEOS Oligomers, “The size of this new PAO unit underscores our commitment to keep pace with our customers’ expanding requirements, well into the next decade.  INEOS Oligomers is currently the world’s largest merchant supplier of low viscosity PAO and this investment will ensure we maintain that position.”

“INEOS Oligomers already has a worldwide network of PAO production trains and bulk storage locations. The addition of another new unit, in a new location, further increases the robustness of our global supply chain. This capability can offer advantages versus competing lubricant base oils that may sometimes come from a single production source.” Walton added.

“The industry needs an ample supply of high quality base oils, such as PAO, to formulate the next generation of advanced lubricant products.  INEOS is making the commitment to invest close to a billion dollars, in both PAO capacity and the necessary LAO feedstock supply, to ensure PAO is a viable and secure long term formulation option for our customers” said Bob Learman, INEOS Oligomers CEO.

The new PAO unit will obtain its feedstock from the adjacent 420 ktpa Linear Alpha Olefin (LAO) plant, which is currently under construction at the same site. The investment represents a major step forward in the ambitious growth plans for the INEOS Oligomers PAO business, complementing existing units in La Porte, TX and Feluy, Belgium.