Ethylene Producers in Taiwan, Japan Change Plans to Halt Plants

CPC Corp. (CPC) will permanently shut its No. 3 naphtha cracker at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at the end of May, at least two months later than originally planned.

The state-owned Taiwanese refiner delayed closing the cracker, which is capable of making 230,000 metric tons a year of ethylene, to ensure steady supplies while it completes work on a new plant, Jessica Tang, a company spokeswoman, said yesterday by phone.

Showa Denko KK (4004) postponed the start of its ethylene plant in Oita, Japan, to the end of May from March 30, the Tokyo-based company said in a statement on its website March 28. The company, which shut production lines at the plant for maintenance last month, decided to extend the shutdown after it discovered a fault in cooling equipment on March 18.

Formosa Petrochemical Corp. (6505) is planning to halt its No. 1 naphtha cracker in Mailiao, Taiwan (FOMACRUD), for 45 days of maintenance from June 19, Tsao Mihn, the company’s president, said at a press conference in Taipei yesterday.

The following is a table of planned maintenance shutdowns in Asia, excluding plants in China and India:

-------------------------------------------------------------
Company   Plant          Capacity          Period
                     (Metric tons/year)
-------------------------------------------------------------

                       *** SOUTH KOREA ***

Honam Petrochemical Corp.
     Daesan          1.07 million     No maintenance
     Yeocheon        750,000          Shut on March 1.
                                      Shutdown to last until
                                      April 10 for maintenance
                                      and expansion to 1
                                      million tons.

Korea Petrochemical Industry Co.
     Onsan           470,000          No maintenance

LG Chem Ltd.
     Daesan          920,000          No maintenance
     Yeocheon        1 million        No maintenance

Samsung Total Petrochemicals
     Daesan          1 million        No maintenance

SK Innovation Co.
     Ulsan           190,000          No maintenance
     Ulsan           690,000          No maintenance

Yeochun NCC Co.
     Yeocheon No. 1  857,000          No maintenance
     Yeocheon No. 2  578,000          March 20 to April 19
     Yeocheon No. 3  465,000          No maintenance

                          *** JAPAN  ***

Asahi Kasei Corp.
     Mizushima           504,000      Shut on March 5. Restart
                                      scheduled for April 16.

Idemitsu Kosan Co.
     Chiba               374,000      No maintenance
     Tokuyama            623,000      Sept. or Nov.

JX Holdings Inc.
     Kawasaki            443,000      No maintenance

Keiyo Ethylene Co.
     Chiba               690,000      No maintenance

Maruzen Petrochemical Co.
     Chiba               525,000      Mid-May to mid-June

Mitsubishi Chemical Corp.
     Kashima 1           343,000      May 10 to July 4
     Kashima 2           435,000      No maintenance
     Mizushima           437,000      No maintenance

Mitsui Chemicals Inc.
     Ichihara            553,000      No maintenance

Osaka Petrochemical Industries Ltd.
     Sakai               500,000      August, one month

Showa Denko K.K.
     Oita                691,000      Start-up at the end of
                                      May. March maintenance
                                      extended after cooling
                                      fault discovered March 18.
Sumitomo Chemical Co.
     Chiba               380,000      No maintenance

Tonen Chemical Corp.
     Kawasaki            540,000      No maintenance

Tosoh Corp.
     Yokkaichi           493,000      March 15 to April 15

                          *** TAIWAN ***

Formosa Petrochemical Corp.
    Mailiao 1          700,000        June 19, 45 days
    Mailiao 2          1.035 million  No maintenance
    Mailiao 3          1.2 million    No maintenance

CPC Corp.
    Kaohsiung No. 6      600,000      Construction to be
                                      completed December 2012
    Kaohsiung No. 5      500,000      No maintenance
    Kaohsiung No. 4      385,000      No maintenance
    Kaohsiung No. 3      230,000      Decommissioned at the end
                                      of May.

                        *** MALAYSIA ***

Titan Chemicals Corp.
    Pasir Gudang         300,000      No maintenance
    Pasir Gudang         435,000      No maintenance

                        *** SINGAPORE ***

Exxon Mobil Corp.
     Jurong Island       1 million    New plant to start up in
                                      the second half of 2012
     Jurong Island       900,000      Unavailable

Petrochemical Corp. of Singapore
     Jurong Island       465,000      No maintenance
     Jurong Island       635,000      No maintenance

Royal Dutch Shell Plc
     Pulau Bukom         800,000      No maintenance

                        *** INDONESIA ***

Chandra Asri PT
     Cilegon             600,000      No maintenance until
                                      2014 or 2015

                        *** THAILAND ***

IRPC Pcl.
     Map Ta Phut         380,000      No maintenance

PTT Global Chemical Pcl.
     Map Ta Phut I-4/1   515,000      No maintenance
     Map Ta Phut I-4/2   400,000      Feb, 49 days
     Map Ta Phut I-1     461,000      No maintenance. Runs on
                                      LPG.

PTT Polyethylene Co.
     Map Ta Phut         1 million    No maintenance. Runs on
                                      LPG.

Rayong Olefins Co.
     Map Ta Phut         800,000      No maintenance

Map Ta Phut Olefins Co.
     Map Ta Phut         800,000      No maintenance

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To contact the reporter on this story: Jacob Adelman in Tokyo at jadelman1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alexander Kwiatkowski at akwiatkowsk2@bloomberg.net