MOSCOW (MRC) -- Westlake Chemical, US petrochemical major, has maintained its July polyvinyl chloride (PVC) output at lower level in the USA with the continued shutdown of an upstream vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plant at its Lake Charles, Louisiana, complex, reported S&P Global with reference to market sources.
The company's plant in Lake Charles can produce 460,000 mt/year of VCM.
Sources said domestic demand for PVC remains strong in the region.
As MRC informed earlier, Westlake Chemical has lifted its force majeure (FM) on US PVC and upstream VCM, the company announced in a customer letter dated May 17. The letter said the company was "formally lifting the systemwide force majeure condition for PVC and VCM manufactured and shipped from its North American operations that was originally declared on Feb. 19" as a result of mid-February's deep freeze that "resulted in a shutdown/curtailment of our plant operations."
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall production of unmixed PVC totalled 515,900 tonnes in the first half of 2021, up by 1% year on year. At the same time, two producers reduced their output.
Westlake Chemical Corporation is an international manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products with headquarters in Houston, Texas. The company's range of products includes: ethylene, polyethylene, styrene, propylene, chlor-alkali and derivative products, PVC suspension and specialty resins, PVC Compounds, and PVC building products including siding, pipe, fittings and specialty components, windows, fence, deck and film.
MRC