Basell Moerdijk SM/PO plant suffers output restrictions

09 March 2000 13:49  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--Technical problems are restricting output at the new styrene monomer/propylene oxide (SM/PO) plant built by BASF and Shell Chemicals joint venture Basell at Moerdijk in The Netherlands.

A spokeswoman for Shell Chemicals confirmed to CNI on Thursday that the plant is operating at below its nameplate capacity of 565 000 tonne of SM and 250 000 of PO. She would not disclose the actual output rate but said it was "quite high".

The plant, which was officially opened last October, would be operating at full capacity "as soon as possible", she said. No further details were available.

Industry sources told CNI today that the plant was running at up to as much as 90% of capacity but technical difficulties were preventing output from reaching full capacity.

The Moerdijk plant, which cost about DM900m ($492m/Euro460m) to build, supplies - among others - BP Amoco. Start-up of the new plant enabled BP Amoco to close in November its 285 000 tonne/year capacity styrene plant at Baglan Bay, South Wales.

Restrictions on output at Moerdijk, however, have exacerbated an already tight styrene market in Europe caused by strong demand coinciding with maintenance turnarounds. The price of styrene on the spot market has soared in recent days to over $1000/tonne, according to the price-reporting service ICIS-LOR, a member, like CNI, of the Reed Business Information group.

By: Neil Sinclair
+44 20 8652 3214

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Europe Lunchtime Bulletin 27 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly