NPC-Alliance to start 2nd mothballed PE unit

28 November 2008 07:23  [Source: ICIS news]

(adds capacity)

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Philippines-based polyethylene (PE) producer NPC Alliance plans to start trial production at its second mothballed unit on 1 December, after delays of more than nine months, a company source said on Friday.

The 137,500 tonne/year high density PE/linear low density PE (HDPE/LLDPE) swing plant would produce different grades of LLDPE on a trial basis until the end of March next year, the source said.

The producer also plans to produce injection and yarn grade HDPE by the second or third quarter, depending on the progress of its LLDPE trial production, he said.

"The optimum production rate of this train is heavily dependent on the ongoing trial run," he said, adding that the output would be exported.

The unit is part of a plant at Mariveles in Bataan province that had been shut since 2002 due to poor economics.

The other HDPE/LLDPE swing unit of a similar capacity was currently producing blowmoulding grade HDPE, and it has been running at an average rate of 80% for the past four months, he said.

Iran's National Petrochemical Co (NPC) and Metro Alliance Holdings and Equities, a Filipino company, each holds a 40% stake in the PE plant.

For more on PE visit ICIS chemical intelligence
Please visit the complete ICIS plants and projects database
To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect

By: Chow Bee Lin
+65 6780 4359

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