Thai PTT Global to raise petchem capacity by 4% over 5 years

04-Mar-16

PTT Global Chemical Pcl aims to boost its annual petrochemical production capacity by an average of 4% over five years to 2020, as per Reuters, expecting to add a combined 657,000 tons of production capacity from four projects in 2016, as Jittasak Soonthronpan, manager for investor relations. The four projects include a US$128.8 mln aromatics expansion and a US$345 mln Phenol 2 project that will add 405,000 tpa capacity and begin operations in Q2. The aromatic project will add 170,000 tons per day in the first quarter. PTT Global, the petrochemical flagship of PTT Pcl, Thailand's top energy firm, currently has a petrochemicals production capacity of 8.75 mln tpa and runs a refinery with a crude and condensate refining throughput capacity of 280,000 bpd. The company has already invested US$288 million to double its production capacity of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) from current levels to 800,000 tpa by 2018. PTT Global also plans to invest in a polyurethane chain project, Jittasak said. If the plan is implemented, the project is expected to start operation in 2019. Apart from these, the company is considering a Map Ta Phut Retrofit project, which aims to transform unused naphtha into olefins products and will add an expected 761,000 tons to PTT's production capacity by 2020, as per Reuters.