Mexico's Etileno XXI cracker PE production inches closer

27-Jan-16

Polyethylene production at Mexico's Etileno XXI petrochemical complex is on course to begin in Q1-2016, with resins available to the US market, as per sources in Platts. "We hope to start production of the first PE grades in March and by Q2 we will have various grades available to export to the US,' the source said. Company officials previously said the cracker would begin operations in February, with the startup of output at the polyethylene plants coming in March. There was market talk that PE resins from the complex would not be available to the US market. However, that claim was dismissed as exports to the US have always played a part in the company's strategy. The project is anchored by a 1 mln mt/year ethylene steam cracker and includes 1 mln mt/year of PE capacity. The joint venture between Brazil's Braskem (with 75%) and Mexico's Grupo Idesa (25%) will focus on meeting Mexico's growing PE demand, with remaining output available for export, including to the US and South America.