China's Abel is mulling plans to build a 250,000 m tpa styrene monomer line that would start up in 2019. This will be Abel's second line. The first line is slated for start up later this year, as per sources in Platts. "After checking and running the No. 1 line, then they may consider [building the second one]," he said.
S&P Global reported another source as saying that Abel was expecting to produce on-spec SM at its new 500,000 mt/year SM plant at Taixing in Jiangsu province by the end of November. "Abel cannot use its private port and [is] now getting feedstock via lorry," one market participant said, explaining the lack of clarity.
The start up of the plant is being closely watched in the Asian SM market amid tight supply and a dearth of deep sea cargo arrivals from the US at present.