Japan's October ethylene output edges up 1% from Sep as cracker turnarounds end

16-Nov-12

Japan's ethylene output rose 1% month on month in October to 500,000 mt, but fell 10% from a year earlier, the Japan Petrochemical Industry Association announced, as per Platts. The month-on-month increase in output coincided with the end of turnarounds at various steam crackers. JX Nippon Oil & Energy restarted its sole steam cracker at Kawasaki on October 11, after an extended maintenance that began August 13, a company source said in October. The steam cracker can produce 404,000 tpa of ethylene. In addition, Idemitsu Kosan restarted its steam cracker at Tokuyama, Yamaguchi Prefecture, at the end of October after scheduled maintenance that had been going on since September 4. The cracker can produce 623,000 tpa of ethylene.