Chemical Week • February 16/23 • New construction

Borouge PLC is moving ahead with a fresh wave of capacity additions at its Ruwais complex in Abu Dhabi, completing a feasibility study for a third ethane cracker and advancing pre-FEED work while pressing on with an ongoing expansion of its EU2 cracker. In a Feb. 4 release accompanying its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results, the petrochemicals joint venture said the EU2 FEED has been finalised and that multiple polyethylene (PE) unit upgrades at Ruwais are underway, with startup of expanded PE capacity slated for the first quarter of 2027.

“We have completed the feasibility study for the expansion of its third ethane cracker [EU3] and are now progressing with pre-FEED activities,” Borouge said in its results statement. The company added it would “now seek to award an engineering, procurement and construction [EPC] contract later this year” for the EU2 expansion.

Details of the Ruwais programme

Borouge said the FEED for the EU2 ethane cracker was carried out by Linde Engineering and will raise the cracker’s ethylene output by 230,000 metric tons/year, an increase of about 15%. The EU2 expansion is scheduled for completion by the fourth quarter of 2028. Linde Engineering is also noted as the licensor of the cracker’s existing technology.

Separately, Borouge awarded an EPC contract in April last year to Target Engineering Construction Co. for work on the PE4 and PE5 polyethylene units. That project comprises a 320,000-metric-ton/year polyolefins expansion and refurbishment that will lift each unit’s nameplate capacity to 700,000 mt/y from 540,000 mt/y at present. Borouge said startup of the expanded PE capacity is planned for the first quarter of 2027.

Borouge — a joint venture between Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc) and Borealis AG — is also nearing the start of operations at its Borouge 4 project, a 1.4 million mt/y development at Ruwais. Borouge 4 will increase the JV’s total polyolefins production capacity to 6.4 million mt/y, with that total forecast to rise to 6.6 million mt/y by 2028 once the additional PE expansions are completed.

Commissioning activities for XLPE 2, the first polymers plant within the Borouge 4 project, began at the end of 2025, with a full startup planned in the first quarter. Borouge said commissioning of multiple additional plants at Borouge 4 is expected through 2026.

Outlook

With pre-FEED under way for EU3 and an EPC for EU2 expected to be awarded later in the year, Borouge’s near-term roadmap points to staged capacity additions through 2026–2028. Key milestones to watch are the Q1 2027 PE capacity start-up, the phased commissioning of Borouge 4 plants through 2026, and the EU2 completion targeted for Q4 2028. If delivered on schedule, the combined projects will push the JV’s polyolefins output incrementally higher through 2028.

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