Shell will shut its cracker at Singapore's Pulau Bukom refining and petrochemical complex from October for maintenance and debottlenecking that will last up to three months.
The mixed-feed cracker that produces 800,000 t/yr of ethylene, 450,000 t/yr of propylene and 230,000 t/yr of benzene feeds a series of downstream petrochemical derivative capacities, which include a 155,000 t/yr butadiene extraction unit and a 750,000 t/yr mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) plant.
Shell in 2012 said it would expand the olefins and aromatics production capacities at the Pulau Bukom cracker by more than 20pc. The company did not announce an investment amount or a timeline for the expansion plan.
"Engineering work is currently under way," said a Shell spokesperson without revealing more details.
The derivative petrochemical units are also likely to be affected by a loss of feedstock with the cracker shutdown. A term buyer said that Shell's MEG unit will be shut for one and a half months because of the lack of ethylene feedstock from the cracker.
Shell also supplies benzene via pipeline to Ellba Eastern's styrene monomer/propylene oxide (PO) plant in Singapore that produces 550,000 t/yr of styrene and 250,000 t/yr of PO. Ellba Eastern is a 50:50 joint venture between Shell and German chemcials firm BASF.
Send comments to feedback@argusmedia.com
If you would like to review other ArgusMedia.com content options, request more information about Argus' energy news, data and analysis services.
Copyright © 2014 Argus Media Ltd - www.ArgusMedia.com - All rights reserved.
