EQUATE restores production rates at Shuaiba complex in Kuwait

02-May-09

EQUATE Petrochemical Company (Kuwait), announced that it has restored production rates at plants in Shuaiba Industrial Area complex as the ethane feedstock levels returned to normal. The polyethylene and ethylene glycol producing joint venture in which Dow Chemical Company (US) and Petrochemical Industries Company (Kuwait) holds majority stake, had announced cutting production rates at its Shuaiba complex in second week of April due to a feedstock shortage led by fire incident at Kuwait National Petroleum Company's (KNPC) LPG plant. EQUATE's ethane cracker in Shuaiba produces 800,000 tpa of ethylene utilizing feedstock supplied by National Petroleum Company's LPG plant, located close to the industrial complex. This ethylene in turn supplies three plants including 600,000 tpa polyethylene unit, 400,000 tpa ethylene glycol unit and PIC owned polypropylene plant, operated by EQUATE.