Singapore to raise ethylene capacity by 50-100% after ExxonMobil's second cracker at Jurong comes onstream

29-Jul-10

A 50-100% raise in ethylene capacity is being planned in Singapore. Capacity will be hiked to 4 mln tpa when ExxonMobil's second cracker complex at Jurong Island comes on-stream by 2012. The island nation plans to eventually raise ethylene capacity to 6-8 mln tpa as per ICIS. Feedstock options being assessed for the new ethylene capacity include more use of refinery bottoms - refinery products from the bottom of distillation columns which can have low alternative value in fuels markets. Existing crackers belonging to Shell Chemicals and ExxonMobil, as well as the one in the pipeline, with mixed-feed cracker technologies already use these refinery products. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is another feedstock option under evaluation, as Singapore continues with its evaluation of an LPG terminal.