MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil has restarted its aromatics unit in Singapore last week, a customer of the company told TPS.
This unit was shut due to unexpected technical issues on Jan 18. The unit was anticipated to be down for up to one month, but has restarted earlier than foreseen. It was unclear on which date specifically the plant was restarted.
ExxonMobil's aromatics shutdown did not have any impact its paraxylene (PX) supply, according to the source.
"The company faced some tightness in January, but volume was not cut. We are already discussing February supply, and there are no disruptions," the source said.
"They are probably not operating at full capacity, but maybe around 80-90%," the source added.
Exxonmobil did not disclose specific details about why the plant was taken off-stream. Its Singapore refinery spans two operating sites: Jurong on the mainland and Pulau Ayer Chawan (PAC) on Jurong Island, with pipelines connecting both. This integrated refinery has a combined nameplate capacity of about 592,000 b/day, producing fuels, lubricant basestock and chemical feedstock for its customers and sister plants.
As MRC wrote previously, ExxonMobil is studying a proposal to expand its 334,600-bpd refinery in Beaumont, Texas. ExxonMobil has pulled together a group of experts at the plant to do more detailed studies on potentially adding a third crude distillation unit (CDU). The new CDU could make the Beaumont refinery the largest in the US, with capacity rising to as much as 850,000 bpd.
ExxonMobil is the largest non-government owned company in the energy industry and produces about 3% of the world's oil and about 2% of the world's energy.
MRC