Iran’s Arya Sasol keeps cracker, PE units shut

23 May 2011 05:48  [Source: ICIS news]

TEHRAN (ICIS)--Iran’s Arya Sasol Petrochemical’s 1m tonne/year cracker and downstream polyethylene (PE) units in Assaluyeh remain shut since the cracker was taken offline on 6 May for a turnaround, a source close to the company said on Sunday.

The maintenance at the cracker had initially been scheduled for two weeks, but its exact restart date will have to be revised, the source said at the sidelines of the Iran Petrochemical Forum (IPF).

He did not disclose the reason for the possible revision of the restart date.

The company had planned to keep its PE units operating during the cracker’s turnaround. However, its 300,000 tonne/year low density PE (LDPE) unit was shut soon after the cracker was taken offline because of a lack of ethylene feedstock.

The high density PE (HDPE) facility was also shut, but this was because of an unspecified reason, the source said.

“There are some repairs that need to be done at both the PE units so we had to shut them,” he said.

The company’s PE supply in June may be affected, but the source did not disclose further details.

Arya Sasol Petrochemical is a joint venture between Iran’s National Petrochemical Co (NPC) and South Africa’s Sasol Polymer.

The IPF was held in Tehran, Iran, on 21-22 May.

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By: Ong Sheau Ling
+65 6780 4359

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