Formosa BP to shut acetic acid plant until year-end

12 November 2008 11:11  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Formosa BP Chemicals Corp (FBPCC) plans to shut down its 300,000 tonne/year acetic acid plant in Mailiao, Taiwan, from mid-November until the end of the year due to poor demand, a company official said on Wednesday.

The official said another reason for the shutdown was Dairen Chemical Corp’s decision in October to halve operating rates at its 650,000 tonne/year vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) plant at the same site.

VAM is a derivative product of acetic acid.

Operating rates at FBPCC’s acetic acid unit were currently at 80% of capacity since mid-September, down 20% from previous levels.

FBPCC is a 50-50 joint venture of BP and Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp.

Other acetic acid producers in Asia include Celanese, Daicel Chemical Industries, CPDC, Shanghai Wujing, Jiangsu Sopo, Showa Denko and GNFC.

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By: Helen Lee
+65 6780 4359

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