INEOS extends planned Grangemouth PE shutdown

15 August 2008 13:00  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS news)--INEOS Polyolefins will extend the planned maintenance shutdown, due to start next week, of its Grangemouth polyethylene unit to investigate problems which have led to reduced output since they were brought down on strike action in April, a company source said on Friday.

“We will only know how long we have to keep the plant down for when we have had a chance to look at it next week,” the source said.

INEOS brought down the 320,000 tonne/year swing linear low density (LLDPE)/high density (HDPE) plant and declared force majeure on 23 April, but it was only this week that it became clear that PE output had been reduced since its restart towards the end of May.

PE prices have been climbing steadily since then on soaring upstream oil, naphtha and ethylene costs.

LLDPE in particular was tight due to production issues in Europe and later cutbacks as cracker margins hit negative territory.

Click here to find out more on the European polyethylene margin report
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By: Linda Naylor
+44 20 8652 3214

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