S Korea’s KP Chem to shut PX lines in Oct for 10-15 days

24 August 2009 11:06  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--South Korean producer KP Chemical plans to take its two Ulsan-based paraxylene (PX) units off line in October due to power supply issues, a company source said on Monday.

The company would shut down the PX units for 10-15 days as the plant supplying electricity to the facilities would undergo a maintenance turnaround, the source said.

The shutdown at the power plant was expected to affect eight or nine companies in the Ulsan area, he added.

KP Chemical produces 200,000 tonnes/year of PX at its No 1 unit and 500,000 tonnes/year of PX at its No 2 facility.

The company’s demand for feedstock isomer grade xylene in October could fall by about 30,000-40,000 tonnes due to the shutdown of its PX plants, the source said.

The company plans to cut its spot feedstock purchases for the month and only procure supply on term basis, he added.

KP Chemical buys a total of 100,000-110,000 tonnes of isomer grade xylene every month on spot and term basis from the US and Asia. The company is the largest importer of US-originated isomer grade xylene.

Some of the other key PX producers in South Korea are SK Energy and GS Caltex.   

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By: Mahua Chakravarty
+65 6780 4359

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