InterviewCHINAPLAS ’12: Samsung Total mulls cracker expansion

19 April 2012 10:33  [Source: ICIS news]

SHANGHAI (ICIS)--Samsung Total Petrochemicals is studying an option to expand its olefins capacity by 20,000-30,000 tonnes/year through debottlenecking its 1m tonne/year cracker in Daesan, South Korea, a senior company executive said on Thursday.

The producer has no plans to expand its downstream polyolefin capacity because its olefins capacity is just enough to support the existing derivative plants, and it does not plan to expand its cracker capacity significantly, Samsung Total Petrochemicals president and CEO Seog-Weon Son told ICIS.

He was speaking at the four-day Chinaplas exhibition in Shanghai that closes on 21 April.

Samsung Total does not intend to compete on production scale but would instead focus on improving its competitive edge through product diversification, and by ensuring that its plants achieve high energy efficiency, said Son.

“Energy efficiency has direct impact on the cost of petrochemicals,” he said.

Samsung Total Petrochemicals’ recently announced plans to expand its aromatics and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) capacities in Daesan were a manifestation of its efforts to diversify its portfolio, he added.

The producer also maintains its competitiveness through cracking a mixture of feedstock, including naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and non-gas liquid (NGL), he said.

By: Chow Bee Lin
+65 6780 4359

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