Q2 olefin levels drop with demand

31 July 1995 00:00  [Source: ICB]

SECOND QUARTER figures for olefin production in western Europe already reflect lower operating rates, as producers react to weaker downstream demand.

Although ethylene production is up over 5% to 4.6m tonne on the same quarter last year, it is almost 3% down on Ql 1995. Refinery propylene production is said to be continuing at high levels but reduced cracker rates have limited the increase in Q2 propylene production to 3.1m tonne, up 19.2% on Q2 1993 although down slightly on Ql.

Q2 butadiene production at 509 000 tonne is marginally ahead of Ql and 6% ahead of Q2 1994.

The normal switch to lighter feeds has been both delayed and muted this year as a result of low naphtha prices and the inclusion in Q2 of production from the smaller Erdölchemie butadiene extraction unit, demothballed early in the second quarter.

West European petrochemical production ('000 tonne)
	Ethylene		Propylene		Butadiene
	1994	1995	1994	1995	1994	1995
Q1	4156	4681	2433	3106	450	505
Q2	4322	4557	2587	3084	468	509
Q3	4424		2637		468
Q4	4615		2808		497
Source: Association of Petrochemical Producers in Europe.

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