Belarus January-May PE production down 2% year on year

MOSCOW (MRC)–Belarus’s overall production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) totalled 25,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2018, down by 2% year on year, according to MRC analysts.

The National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus said that local LDPE producer, Polymir, shut down its production for maintenance from 5-20 May.

Therefore, May polyethylene (PE) output was 3,400 tonnes compared with 5,400 tonnes a month earlier.

Polymir’s total LDPE production was almost 25,400 tonnes in January-May 2018, compared to 25,800 tonnes in the same period a year earlier.

The Belarusian producer also plans to resume some of its ethylene production capacities in August after a forced outage because of a fire which happened in June 2016.

When the ethylene unit achieves 100% capacity utilisation, LDPE production capacities will also reach the nominal capacity utilisation level.

Polymir (part of Naftan) is Belarus’s largest petrochemical company, producing a wide range of chemical products, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), acrylic fibres, products of organic synthesis and hydrocarbon fractions.

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