Polish chemicals company Grupa Azoty has started limited production at its 437,000 t/yr propane dehydrogenation (PDH) and 429,000 t/yr polypropylene (PP) plant in Police, northwest Poland, with full commercial operations planned to start next year.
The company's PDH unit is currently producing propylene at 825 t/d capacity while the PP unit is operating at 843 t/d capacity, Azoty said on 9 November during a presentation of the company's third-quarter financial results.
Azoty said both units are in "test mode", with production planned to ramp up gradually next year. The company said it has already started selling polypropylene from the plant and is ready to begin full-scale sales logistically and commercially.
The company has not specified current production volumes nor the exact state date of commercial operations. Construction of the plant is 99.84pc complete, it said.
Azoty postponed the start of the plant earlier this year, citing "unexpected problems during start-up of some installations". The firm admitted last month that it may need to provide an additional loan of up to €105mn to its PDH/PP subsidiary because of delays in starting commercial operations.
The delays have added to Azoty's financial woes. The company has been hit by record losses this year on the back of weak demand and margins for its products and higher production costs.
