BP puts UK ethanol, ethyl acetate on 60% allocation

26 October 2000 15:39  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (CNI)--BP has set a 60% allocation limit on ethanol and ethyl acetate supplies for its UK customers which is expected to continue into early December, CNI learned Thursday.

A spokesman for BP said difficulties with catalysts at its ethanol plants at Grangemouth, Scotland and Baglan Bay, Wales had forced the energy and chemicals giant to introduce the allocation restrictions.

He said the 60% allocation to all customers was expected to last "until the end of November, at least".

The ethanol plant remains closed after BP experienced difficulties reactivating the catalyst after a maintenance shutdown, said the spokesman. The technical problems have held back the restart of the 200 000 tonne/year unit by about a week, he said. It would then take a number of days to bring unit onstream and be ramped-up.

The ethanol plant at Grangemouth feeds BP's ethyl acetate plant in Hull, northeast England, which is operating at reduced output.

It was understood that ethanol production at Baglan Bay also has been suffering from technical difficulties with its catalyst. But no further details were available on the problems at the Welsh site or to what extent output has been affected.

BP experienced ethanol production problems at Grangemouth earlier this year that left ethanol stocks low ahead of the current problems.

By: Patrick Reynolds
+44 208 652 3214

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