Vinyls producer Inovyn, wholly owned by Ineos, has announced plans to raise production of general purpose PVC at its Jemeppe site in Belgium to meet growing demand.

The project will lift capacity by 200,000 t/y to meet rising demand from the building and construction, electronics, packaging, food protection, water and energy sectors. The first phase of the expansion is scheduled to be operational in 2020.

Inyovyn said the plans were in addition to its ongoing investment to increase production of specialty PVC at Jemeppe. The company will also expand capacity of VCM at the site to provide the extra feedstock needed for both PVC projects.

“The investment strategy for our PVC businesses, in which Jemeppe will play a vital role, will help to accelerate Inovyn’s global growth whilst reinforcing our leading market positions in Europe. Our focus is to drive innovation to create new markets for PVC, and in doing so deliver global competitive advantage for our customers across all industry sectors,” said Inovyn’s CEO, Chris Tane. He added that by the end of the decade, Inovyn will have invested around €1 billion across its European assets.