Mitsui extends Asia PTA shutdowns on poor market

18 October 2007 12:14  [Source: ICIS news]

Kunming, CHINA (ICIS news)--Mitsui Chemicals has decided to extend the shutdown of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) lines in Japan and Thailand “due to sluggish market conditions”, said a source from the Japanese PTA producer on Thursday.

The company would idle its 380,000 tonne/year No 3 line at Iwakuni in Japan for an additional week until the end of October.

The unit was previously slated to be down for one month between mid-September and mid-October for regular maintenance.

Meanwhile, the company’s Siam Mitsui joint venture with Siam Cement would idle its 500,000 tonne/year No 3 unit at Mab Ta Phut in central Thailand for three weeks in November, instead of just two as earlier announced.

The source declined to comment further on the extended shutdowns, but confirmed that further extensions were possible if the poor economics for PTA sellers persisted.

Mitsui is one of the largest PTA producers in the world. Its PTA facilities in Japan include two other lines of 205,000 tonnes/year and 165,000 tonne/year at Iwakuni.

Siam Mitsui has two other units of 450,000 tonnes/year each in Thailand.

Mitsui also has a joint venture plant with BP in Indonesia, and is mulling a project in China.

By: Salmon Aidan Lee
+65 6780 4359

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