June 27, 2025 14:35

Sabic’s Olefins 6 cracker in Wilton, England, now joins the growing list of similar facilities in Europe that have already been halted or are facing closure.

The Saudi group informed trade union representatives of its decision in recent days and will open formal consultations shortly. Rumors of a shutdown had been circulating for several weeks.

Here, too, the company cites high energy costs and excess ethylene capacity in the European market as key factors behind the move.

Commissioned in 1979 — originally under ICI ownership — and out of service since late 2020 for maintenance, the Wilton steam cracker had been earmarked for an €850 million revamp to switch feedstock from naphtha to ethane.
Its nameplate capacity exceeds 1.25 million t/y of ethylene and propylene. The site employs 330 people, with about 100 jobs now at risk.

A separate unit on the same site — System 18 — continues to produce about 400,000 t/y of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and will remain in operation.

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