Iran not likely to export any MEG this year - NPC

26 July 2007 17:08  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Iran’s National Petrochemical Co (NPC) is not likely to export any monoethylene glycol (MEG) this year due to strong domestic demand and low operating rates, a company source said on Thursday.

“The Marun plant is now feeding our own downstream polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plants only,” said the source. “There would not be any export from this plant for the foreseeable future, maybe even by the end of this year.”

Marun Petrochemical, a subsidiary of NPC, started up its 400,000 tonne/year MEG plant at Bandar Imam last year but had been running it at low rates due to a series of mechanical problems and a dearth of feedstock ethylene.

“[The plant] is now running around 80% of nameplate capacity, I would estimate,” said the source, who added that full operating rates could only be achieved if the adjoining cracker manages to reach full production.

NPC’s other MEG plant, operated by Arak Petrochemical, would undergo a turnaround “later this month or next month” in early August, said the source.

He was unable to state the dates of the shutdown, but other sources close to the company said that the shutdown would likely last slightly more than a month, in order to carry out a catalyst change.

“But no dates have been fixed, as far as we know,” said one of the sources.

Because of the Arak shutdown, the low operating rates at Marun and the strong demand by the country’s downstream PET and polyester sectors, the NPC source acknowledged that any MEG exports are only likely to occur only next year, when Farsa Petrochemical starts up a new 400,000 tonne/year facility at Assaluyeh. 

By: Salmon Aidan Lee
+65 6780 4359

< previous article(ICIS Chemical Business podcast November 2, 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