Delay anticipated in ExxonMobil's petrochemical project on Singapore's Jurong Island

05-Jan-11

The startup of ExxonMobil's second petrochemical project on Singapore's Jurong Island could be delayed to 2012, as per Platts. Construction on the project commenced on November 6, 2007, with start up planned for 2011. The 1 mln tpa steam cracker project includes two 650,000 mln tpa polyethylene units, a 450,000 mln tpa polypropylene unit, a 300,000 mln tpa specialty elastomers unit, an aromatics extraction unit to produce 340,000 mln tpa of benzene, a 125,000 mln tpa oxo-alcohols unit and an 80,000 mln tpa paraxylene unit. Unexpected difficulties in mechanical and construction work at the complex have led to delay the project to possibly Q4-10 or early 2011. Some units will begin to start up or come online as they are completed. Mechanical completion and start-up of the other new facilities is expected in phases beginning late 2010 through 2011.