Our History

February 1920

A goup of investors founds the Compagnie Financière Belge des Pétroles - Pétrofina.

1941

Birth of Société Nationale des Pétroles d'Aquitaine (SNPA), precursor of Elf Aquitaine, that operates the Lacq gas field in the Pyrénées Atlantiques, France.

1951

The Petrochim Company is created with the aim to study the possibilities of increasing the value of the petroleum by-product generated by the refineries located in the port of Antwerp, Belgium.

PetroFina is one of the stakeholders of Petrochim. A chemical plant, Petrochim NV, becomes operational in 1958.

1959

Ethylene is extracted from ethane recovered from the Lacq gas field and sold to the Ethylène Plastiques company that transforms the ethylene in polyethylene at its plant in Mont, located a few kilometers from Lacq, France.

October 1959

First contact with Polyethylene

A Petrochim NV - Union Carbide joint venture named COBENAM begins construction on a high pressure polyethylene plant in Antwerp, Belgium, next to the river Schelde. Production at the start in 1961 is 15,000 mT. In 1963 Petrochim stake is bought back by Union Carbide.

1964

PetroFina and Phillips Petroleum become the major shareholders of Petrochim NV.

Startup by SNPA of a high pressure polyethylene unit in Mont, near Pau, France.

1966

PetroFina, Phillips Petroleum and Rhône Poulenc create Polyolefins NV for the manufacturing, marketing and sale of polyethylene.

1967

Startup of a high pressure polyethylene unit in Balan, near Lyon, France.

1968

Start of production of a 30,000mT capacity high-density polyethylene plant, using the 'processible particle form' process.

1969

Construction by Elf and Total of a steamcracker at Gonfreville, near Le Havre, France.

1971

First production of colored resins (gray and white).

Creation of ATO (Aquitaine Total Organico) Chemicals, a subsidiary common to Elf
and Total.

Startup of a PEHD unit at the Gonfreville location.

1974

First production of black grades for pipes.

1976

Pe capacity of the Mont facility is raised from 40 to 80 mKT.


1977

First production of yellow product.

1978

Phillips Petroleum (50%)and PetroFina (50%) are sole owners of Polyolefins NV.

1982

Takeover of Polyolefins NV by Petrochim NV.

1983

Creation of Elf ATOCHEM ((ATO Chemicals + Chloe + PCUK (Péchiney-Ugine
Kuhlman)).

1986

PetroFina becomes the only shareholder of Petrochim NV.

Petrochim NV now produces olefins, rubber and polyethylene.

1987

First production of blue resin

1988

After 20 years, with the addition of several reactors and successive debottleneckings, polyethylene production in the Antwerp plant reaches 300,000mT/year.

PetroFina partners with Neste. Petrochim NV operates only polymers.

1991

Integration of the petrochemical of ORKEM.

Start of a new polyethylene line in Feluy, Belgium, with a capacity of 140,000mT/year.

1992

PetroFina acquires a 100,000mT/year capacity high-density polyethylene plant at Bayport near Houston, Tx, USA.

1994

ATOCHEM buys Enichem's PE site located in Carling, eastern France.

Petrochim NV changes name to Fina Polymers

1996

Fina Polymers changes name to Fina Chemicals Antwerpen

1997

First production of our PE 100 pipe grade

1998

A new line brings the Bayport plant capacity to 380,000mT/year

1999

PetroFina is acquired by Total, that changes its company name toTotalFina

2000

Elf Aquitaine is acquired byTotalFina, that changes its company name to TotalFinaElf.

Elf has 680,000mT/year polyethylene capacity.

Production capacity of the new TotalFinaElf group reaches 1,615,000mT/year.

All chemical activities of the new company, among which the polyethylene production, sales and research are grouped under the name ATOFINA