Corrected: BASF restarts Antwerp EO/MEG facility after turnaround

12 March 2010 17:04  [Source: ICIS news]

Correction: In the ICIS news story headlined “BASF restarts Antwerp EO/MEG facility after turnaround” dated 12 March 2010, please read in the fifth paragraph … was also taking place in May … instead of … in March…. A corrected story follows.

LONDON (ICIS news)--BASF has restarted its ethylene oxide (EO)/monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant in Antwerp, Belgium, after a scheduled maintenance programme, a company source said on Friday.

The 450,000 tonne/year EO and 360,000 tonne/year MEG lines resumed production towards the end of this week and were now running, the source added. The unit had been down for three weeks.

BASF’s return coincided with the restart of INEOS Oxide’s Lavera site in France, which went down in January. Capacities there were 220,000 tonne/year of EO and 15,000 tonne/year of ethylene glycol.

INEOS Oxide was due to take down its Antwerp plant for scheduled maintenance on the weekend of 20-21 March for two-to-three weeks, a source there confirmed.

Clariant’s catalyst change at its Gendorf, Germany site, was also taking place in May, players said recently.

The MEG market was dogged by supply constraints because of a reduction in import material, so the European shutdowns were compounding the situation, players said.

While availability remained an issue for many players, MEG spot prices were falling, buyers and sellers agreed.

Spot deals in Europe were concluded this week either side of €750/tonne ($1,027/tonne) CIF (cost, insurance and freight) NWE (northwest Europe), having dropped from the highs of €800/tonne, according to data from global chemical market intelligence service ICIS pricing

The last time prices fell openly in the market, was in November 2009, when deals were being recorded in the low €500s/tonne.

For EO, both buyers and sellers described the market as more balanced in March, following limited availability during February, and prices were expected to remain relatively stable, driven by the rollover in ethylene feedstock costs.

($1 = €0.73)

Heidi Finch contributed to this article
For more on MEG and EO visit ICIS chemicals intelligence
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By: Caroline Murray
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