BP may double Sichuan acetic acid output

03 November 1998 08:49  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (CNI)--British Petroleum (BP) Chemicals may double the capacity of its newly completed, 150 000 tonne/year acetic acid plant in Sichuan province, China, if demand continues to be buoyant, Bob Baldwin, sales and marketing manager at BP Chemicals China, told CNI Tuesday.

But a decision will not be made before 2002, he added.

"There are plans to double capacity to 300 000 tonne/year through debottlenecking in two stages, but right now, according to our estimates, supply looks set to match demand, so we won't make any firm commitment," Baldwin stated.

He welcomed the Chinese government's plan to stop new acetic acid plant investments in the country. "The regional market seems headed for overcapacity," he noted. "Only the big producers will survive."

Baldwin declined to comment on BP's reported plans for two more acetic acid investments in China - one in Daqing, Heilongjiang, and the other in Wujing, Shanghai.

BP reportedly is negotiating with Daqing Oil Administration Bureau to build a 100 000 tonne/year project in Daqing. The Bureau belongs to China National Petroleum Corp. In Wujing, BP reportedly is interested in doubling the capacity of a 100 000 tonne/year plant owned by the defunct Ministry of Chemical Industry.

By: Leslie Chua
+65 6780 4359

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