Borealis restarts PDH construction site in Kallo with Ponticelli as contractor
- Restart of construction works as of 3 October 2022, focused on the mechanical works and highly specialized piping of Borealis’ new Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Kallo, Belgium
- Thorough social controls have been set in place to respect and value the workers on site
- Ponticelli and Borealis are committed to set a new standard for industrial construction works
- Start-up expected during the second half of 2024
Following a standstill for 80% of the construction works in the Kallo PDH project, Borealis carried out a re-tendering process for the Mechanical and Piping construction works. After careful consideration, Borealis has now granted a majority of these works to the contractor Ponticelli. Works on the construction site will now further gradually increase as of 3 October 2022.
The prolonged standstill and gradual re-start of the project has consequences for the timeline of the project. Borealis expects start-up of the new PDH plant during the second half of 2024.
Borealis has zero tolerance for any malpractices. Borealis has implemented these measures to identify and address any potential lack of control by (sub)contractors:
- All workers and (sub)contractors are informed and encouraged to make use of Borealis’ ethics hotline. This tool is accessible for Borealis workers and externals and allows for ethics-related concerns to be filed in 24 languages. In this way we can best early detect wrongdoings and take the required measures in the shortest timeframe
- Borealis has reinforced its contractor auditing and vetting process to ensure that our contractors are effectively controlling their subcontractors.
- To ensure further compliance, we ask each contractor and subcontractor to sign a formal binding declaration prior to deployment on the site in which they formally confirm to be fully compliant with applicable Belgian labour, social security and tax laws.
“We feel sorry for the workers employed by subcontractors for what has happened to them. Borealis has a zero tolerance policy regarding human rights violations, and we act accordingly. With the restart of the construction with Ponticelli, Borealis has further strengthened its standards for major expansion projects in a safe way,” comments Philippe Roodhooft, Borealis Executive Vice President. “Any contractor who does not comply with highest professional standards, be it directly or indirectly, disqualifies as a partner for us.”
“We are very grateful to Borealis for their confidence in these delicate times, which displayed our shared value to never compromise on our most important asset: our People,” comments Thierry Le Gangneux, CEO of Ponticelli. “And thanks to the reinforced connection between our Groups, we are more committed than ever to make this project a success.”
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Media contacts:
| Borealis Virginia Wieser Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Brand & Reputation |
Borealis Communications Belgium Anne Cornelissen Expert Communications |
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| T +43 1 22 400 772 (Vienna, Austria) media@borealisgroup.com |
tel.: +32 475 56 02 31 or + 32 11 45 90 66 (Belgium) media.belgium@borealisgroup |
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| Ponticelli Bertrand Wyns Hill+Knowlton Strategies Bertrand.Wyns@hkstrategies.com |