SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) plans to shut its No 2 aromatics facility in Map Tha Phut for a one-month long scheduled turnaround in November, a company source said on Friday.
The No 2 aromatics facility comprises a 616,000 tonnes/year paraxylene (PX) plant and a reformer, toluene disproportionation (TDP) unit that has a total nameplate capacity 360,000 tonnes/year of benzene, the source said.
At the same site, the No 1 aromatics facility, which can produce 460,000 tonnes/year of benzene; 560,000 tonnes/year of PX and 66,000 tonnes/year of orthoxylene (OX), will continue to operate during the maintenance,
The No 1 aromatics facility is operating below 100% since end June because of pygas feeding issues, while No 2 aromatics unit is running at 100%, he said.
Production loss of benzene and PX at the No 1 aromatics plant is minimal, he added.
Only one to two benzene cargoes will be lost during this reduced operations and consequently, PTTGC has no further August spot lots to offer, the source said.
About 3,000-4,000 tonnes of PX will be lost during the shutdown period, the source added.