26-Oct-16 Mitsui Phenols Singapore (MPS) expects to raise the operating rate of its solvents plant to 100% of capacity by November 1, as per sources in Platts. This was based on expectations that Shell Chemicals, the company's supplier of feedstock propylene, would restart its cracker at Pulau Bukom "at the end of October."
MPS delayed or canceled some of its October phenol shipments after reducing its operating rate by 30-40% on October 1 following the shutdown of Shell Chemicals' cracker on September 27. Shell Chemicals issued a force majeure on base chemicals from its Pulau Bukom complex on September 29, two days after the steam cracker was shut. No restart date for the complex has been given. Shell Chemicals' petrochemical complex comprises a steam cracker that is able to produce 960,000 m tpa of ethylene, 540,000 m tpa of propylene and 186,000 m tpa of butadiene, 276,000 m tpa benzene unit and a 750,000 m tpa monoethylene glycol plant. MPS' plant can produce 310,000 m tpa of phenol and 180,000 m tpa of acetone.
