Braskem to resume production at ABC complex on Sunday

23-Nov-15

Braskem could resume operations at ABC Petrochemicals Complex in Sao Paulo state as early as Sunday for the first time since a fire halted production over a month ago, as per sources in Platts. The shutdown included all ethylene production at the ABC complex, which has a capacity of 700,000 mt/year. The stoppage also involves a 300,000 mt/year propylene unit and 255,000/mt benzene unit. The fire occurred on October 14 at the UNIB 3 cracker in the Capuava Petrochemical Complex, one of the plants that forms the ABC petchems complex. A Braskem company spokeswoman said Thursday that operations at the complex would restart by the end of next week. The unit has capacity to produce 1.6 mln mt/year of olefins and aromatics such as ethylene, propylene, benzene and cumene. As olefins are the feedstock for polyolefins, Braskem's polyethylene and polypropylene units were also shut. Despite the fact that Braskem's ABC complex does not have a PVC plant, PVC production in Brazil was also affected by the shutdown. An outage at Solvay Indupa's 300,000 mt/year PVC plant in Sao Paulo state was also a result of the October 14 fire and subsequent shutdown of Braskem's ABC ethylene plant, which provides ethylene to Solvay Indupa.