Map Ta Phut projects resumption allowed

(plastemart) -- A Thai court has ruled that nearly all the projects at Map Ta Phut industrial park can resume operations. Most of the US$12 bln investment in new projects have been permitted to proceed, despite environmental and health concerns. Last year's court decision has halted these projects, and raised concerns about Thailand's economic stability. Two projects were deemed harmful by the cabinet this week, will have their operating licenses withdrawn. They will be able to seek permission from the National Environment Board to resume operations once they have completed the environmental- and health-impact assessments required under the 2007 constitution. An ethylene-glycol plant by TOC Glycol, a unit of PTT Chemical PCL, and a vinyl chloride monomer plant by an affiliate of Siam Cement PCL.

PTT PCL will apply to the Department of Industrial Works for an operating license for its gas-separation plant before starting operations. The gas-separation plant is considered crucial as it will help to reduce the country's imports of liquefied petroleum gas.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Westlake Chemical Corp is to commence construction of a new chlor-alkali plant at its vinyls manufacturing complex in Geismar, Louisiana, at an investment of US$250-300 mln. Capacity will include 250,000 electrochemical units (ECU's) annually, bringing the total estimated ECU capacity to 525,000 pa. This project, targeted for start-up in H2-2013, will utilise state of the art membrane technology and will be adjacent to the existing vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) facilities at the Geismar complex.

MRC

(EuropeanPlasticsNews) -- Germany-based Polymer-Chemie, a producer of PVC, PE and PP compounds, has expanded production of PVC compounds at its Russian LLC Tula Polymer factory.

The new production capacity at the plant, which is located in the Leninsky area of the Tula region, is said to be close to 20,000 tonnes of PVC compounds per year. Financial details of the project were not disclosed.

The company is reported to be planning a significant increase in production capacity at the plant next year, when it will also broaden the product range.

Polymer-Chemie said the bulk of future production will be sold in the Russian market and neighbouring countries.

MRC

(Bloomberg) -- Formosa Petrochemical Corp., Taiwan's only publicly traded oil refiner, restarted Mailiao unit yesterday that was shut on Aug. 18 because of a steam leak.

The No. 2 residual fluid catalytic cracker is operating at 70 percent of capacity, spokesman Lin Keh-yen said by telephone in Taipei today.

The refiner has two residual fluid catalytic crackers, each capable of processing 84,000 barrels of fuel a day. The units convert heavier refined products such as residual fuel into higher-value products, including gasoline. Formosa Petrochemical, based in Mailiao, western Taiwan, has a daily capacity to process 540,000 barrels of crude oil.

MRC

SINGAPORE (ICIS) -- Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co (Petro Rabigh) has slashed export cargoes in September after the restart of its 700,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia, in order to build inventory, a source familiar with the company said on Friday.

The company is in the process of ramping up operating rates at the plant and expects to achieve full output only by 6 September. Petro Rabigh would begin to export PP again in October.

The PP plant was taken off line in early August because of a shortage of feedstock propylene, on the back of an outage at the company's fluid catalytic cracker (FCC). It was restarted on 27 August. The unplanned shutdown of the PP plant had tightened the product's supply in the Middle East market, said traders. Petro Rabigh has a total installed propylene capacity of 900,000 tonnes/year.

MRC