China’s Anhui Zhonglian Energy delays MTBE start-up to end April

SHANGHAI (ICIS)--China’s Anhui Zhonglian Energy has postponed the start-up of its new 50,000 tonne/year methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) plant at Chuzhou in Anhui province to the end of April because of a machinery problem, a company source said on Monday.

The producer had initially scheduled the start-up of the plant for mid-April, but had to delay it as a result of the mechanical issue, the source added.

Output from the plant is targeted at the east China market, which is experiencing tight supply of MTBE at present, industry sources said.

Additional reporting by Dong Hang