MPI keen on Indo site for hdPE

03 March 1997 00:00  [Source: ACN]

MITSUI Petrochemical Industries (MPI) said it is keen to build its Asian hdPE plant in Indonesia, and is studying the Salim/BP cracker and Tirtamas cracker projects for the investment.

MPI is also considering Singapore's third cracker project for the 200-300 000 tonne/year facility. Exxon and Mobil are planning to build a cracker each in the country.

'Our feasibility study is still ongoing, and we still do not know which cracker is more viable. We also hope to invest in functional resins and value-added products such as floor pipings,' an MPI senior official in Tokyo said.

Mobil has said its proposed 800 000 tonne/year cracker will start up in end-2000, and hopes to finalise commercial arrangements for offtake as soon as possible.

Exxon has yet to specify its proposed cracker capacity and startup, but said construction will start once the project is approved. It expects to invite bids by the middle of this year. Toyo Engineering and ABB Lummus, among others, have recently teamed up and are preparing to bid for the cracker project (ACN 24 Feb, p35).

MPI said it is still keen on investing in hdPE in China but has not yet finalised the site. Earlier talks with Shanghai Petrochemical did not go through. MPI earlier quit its 250 000 tonne/year joint-venture purified terephthalic acid project with Sinopec Tianjin Petrochemical as it could no longer import its equipment duty-free. However, MPI has agreed to license its technology to the Chinese (ACN 3 Feb, p22).

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