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LyondellBasell Industries NV (LYB), the second-biggest North American producer of ethylene, said global demand for the raw material used in plastics will outpace supply additions through 2015, leading to shortages.

Ethylene demand will rise by at least 70 billion pounds through 2015, driven mostly by Asia, requiring 35 new crackers, as ethylene plants are known, Chief Executive Officer Jim Gallogly said today in a webcast presentation. No more than 24 crackers will be built in that period, leading to shortages and wider margins for producers such as Rotterdam-based LyondellBasell, he said.