OMV, which is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, is expanding and modernizing its cracker units and petrochemical cold section at its Burghausen Refinery in Germany. 

Burghausen has an annual processing capacity of around 3.8 million metric tons of crude. It produces middle distillates such as kerosene, diesel and heating oil. The focus of the refinery is on petrochemicals, whereby the crude is not used to produce gasoline but instead processed into petrochemicals like ethylene, propylene and butadiene.

The measures aim to increase the site’s ethylene and propylene production capacity. Following the planned turnaround of the refinery, the upgraded units are expected to go live in the third quarter of 2022.  The initial groundwork is already underway.

“By expanding the cracker, OMV is consistently delivering on its petrochemical strategy for a future-proof refinery. This goes hand in hand with the growth in the chemical industry and serves as a response to increasing customer demand. At the same time, this 40-million-euro investment will provide key economic stimulus for the region and for OMV’s Burghausen site,” says Thomas Gangl, OMV chief downstream operations officer. 

The cracker expansion will facilitate an increase in annual ethylene and propylene production of around 50,000 metric tons, addressing the growth in demand for petrochemical products in the Bavarian Chemical Triangle and on the international markets. Ethylene and propylene are important raw materials for an array of industrial applications such as advanced lightweight automotive components, parts for the renewables sector, medication, or detergents and de-icing agents for example.

An international team made up of people from different sites has developed the project and is now implementing it. Despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and corresponding enhanced safety measures, all milestones so far have been successfully met.