Indonesia’s Pertamina shuts aroms unit for catalyst change

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Indonesia’s state-owned energy major Pertamina shut its aromatics unit at Cilacap, Java, on 25 October for 10 days for a catalyst change, a company source said on Tuesday.

"During the turnaround, the catalyst and some mechanical parts will be replaced," the source added.

The shutdown had been postponed from 1 October due to the late arrival of the catalyst, the source said.

The facility can produce up to 125,000 tonnes/year of benzene and 275,000 tonnes/year of paraxylene (PX).

Before the turnaround, the unit was operating at 85-90% of its capacity, the source added.

Major aromatics producers in southeast Asia include Petrochemical Corp of Singapore and Trans-Pacific Petrochemical Indotama in Indonesia.