LyondellBasell Restarts Ethylene Cracker Units in Southern France
LyondellBasell has initiated the restart of its ethylene cracker operations at the Berre-l'Étang facility in Southern France, following an extended outage.
Netherlands-based LyondellBasell has commenced the restart of its production units at the Berre-l'Étang integrated olefins and polyolefins facility in Southern France. The site had been offline following a fire incident in August 2022.
The company had previously indicated that the restart would be delayed until early 2023, citing high regional energy costs, compressed profit margins, and weakened product demand. Market analysts suggest that the decision to resume operations earlier than expected may be driven by forecasts for improved demand in the European chemicals sector.
The Berre-l'Étang site produces a range of essential chemicals, including ethylene, propylene, and polyolefins. The return of this capacity is significant for the company’s regional supply chain.