Equate achieves 90% output at Kuwait PE

30 July 2008 08:30  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Equate Petrochemical Co has achieved 90% production at its polyethylene (PE) plant in Shuaiba, Kuwait, this week after running the line at lower rates since the end of June, sources close to the company said on Wednesday.

“The plant is expected to achieve 100% output by the end of this week, a week earlier than originally anticipated,” one of the sources said.

The 550,000 tonne/year high density PE (HDPE)/linear low density PE (LLDPE) swing plant had been running at 50% rates since the end of June, halving its PE allocations for July and August shipments.

"The reason for the cut in production is the shortage of ethylene feedstock, caused by low availability of gas," a second source said, adding that gas supplies were now being normalised.

Gas supplies had been curtailed due to a debottlenecking exercise being undertaken ahead of the start-up of Equate’s Olefins II project at the same site in September.

The shortage of ethylene due to the delay in Olefins II had also forced the company to postpone its PE expansion, the source added.

Equate is a joint venture of Kuwait’s Petrochemical Industries Co (PIC) and Dow Chemical.

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By: Prema Viswanathan
+65 6780 4359

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