BCIC's shuts 600000 tpa PDH plant for turnaround, props up propylene price

13-Jan-16

BCIC Petrochemical Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tianjin Bohai Chemical Industry Group (short as BCIC) has shut its 600000 tpa propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant in Tianjin for turnaround on Jan 10, 2016. The time of restart remains uncertain, as per www.ccfgroup.com. The suspension of BCIC Petrochemical has tightened up propylene liquidity in Shandong province, especially when Yantai Wanhua still runs its 750000 tpa PDH plant at low rate after restart, and allows only small proportion of merchant sales. Propylene prices in Shandong province recorded on Jan 12 are up to 4700-4800 yuan/mt, despite the rate in Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces extends declining to 4600-4700 yuan/mt, by cash, ex-works. In the first half of 2015, China propylene production capacity has been growing to a rough assessment of around 27 million tpa. The expansions in H1 2015 have totaled 1.27 mln tpa, and in the latter period of 2015, Yantai Wanhua started its 750000 tpa PDH project in Shandong province, and Shenchi’s 200000 tpa mixed dehydrogenation project, which is still under test run.