Lotte delays Daesan cracker restart after accident

South Korean petrochemical producer Lotte Chemical has delayed the restart of its 1.1mn t/yr Daesan cracker from the end of November to mid-December, following an accident that resulted in worker injuries late last week.

The producer is likely postponing the cracker restart for safety reasons. The cause and nature of the recent accident, which injured two workers, are unclear.

The producer was initially aiming to resume operations at the cracker by the end of November following an explosion in March, which injured at least 31 people.

The Daesan cracker has nameplate capacity to produce 1.1mn t/yr of ethylene, 550,000 t/yr of propylene and 190,000 t/yr of butadiene. It also feeds an aromatics unit that can produce 240,000 t/yr of benzene, 120,000 t/yr of toluene and 60,000 t/yr of solvent-grade mixed xylenes.

Other downstream facilities that have been closed include 130,000 t/yr low-density polyethylene, 290,000 t/yr LLDPE, 500,000 t/yr polypropylene, 730,000 t/yr ethylene glycol and 580,000 t/yr styrene monomer units.

By Toong Shien Lee