Iran’s Jam halts HDPE/LLDPE swing plant ops on feedstock shortage

07 September 2011 09:32  [Source: ICIS news]

SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Iran's Jam Petrochemical (JPC) has halted production at its high density polyethylene (HDPE)/linear low density PE (LLDPE) swing plant in Asaluyeh because of shortages in feedstock butane-1 and in catalyst, a source close to the company said on Wednesday.

The exact date of shutdown of the 300,000 tonne/year facility was not disclosed by the source.

The lack of catalyst affected the company’s HDPE production, while the lack of butane-1 hit Jam Petrochemical’s LLDPE output, the source said.

The company has plans to secure sufficient butane-1 to resume production of LLDPE, said the source.

“We are unsure by when exactly the swing plant restart. This is subject to the operating status of its upstream cracker,” he said.

The company’s cracker with a 1.32m tonne/year ethylene capacity is currently running at lower operating rates than the 80-90% recorded in August, the source said.

Jam Petrochemical also has a stand-alone HDPE facility in Asaluyeh that produces blow moulding grade polymer for the Iranian market.

This plant is running at full capacity, the source said.

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By: Ong Sheau Ling
+65 6780 4359

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