MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indonesian petrochemical and gasoline producer TPPI will increase its aromatics capacity by 30pc by the end of 2021 through a planned USD180mn overhaul and maintenance programme, said Chemweek.
Paraxylene (PX) extraction capacity at TPPI's complex in Tuban, Java will increase from 600,000 t/yr to 780,000 t/yr, while benzene production capacity will rise from 360,000 t/yr to 490,000 t/yr. The company expects the expanded units to start production in early 2022.
The project will also expand an upstream platforming unit, raising reforming capacity by 5,000-10,000 b/d to 55,000 b/d. TPPI will need to buy heavy naphtha or additional condensate to operate the facility at full capacity following the expansion.
The expansion is the result of TPPI's need to replace existing equipment, which is coming to the end of its lifespan, with newer and more efficient facilities that will raise overall capacity.
TPPI will resume aromatics production at the end of this month at the expense of gasoline under its third-party processing agreement with state-owned refiner Pertamina.
TPPI has been focused on gasoline production since August 2019 because of expectations that aromatics margins would narrow. But Indonesian gasoline demand has fallen since the government imposed travel restrictions in April to curb the Covid-19 outbreak.
As MRC informed earlier, Russia's output of products from polymers grew in August 2020 by 4.1% year on year. However, this figure increased by 1.9% year on year in the first eight months of 2020. According to the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, August production of unreinforced and non-combined films rose to 126,300 tonnes from 118,200 tonnes a month earlier. Output of films products grew in January-August 2020 by 8.3% year on year to 863,200 tonnes.
MRC