MOSCOW (MRC) -- Asahimas, a joint venture between Japan’s Asahi Glass Company and Indonesia’s Rodamas Group, has restarted one of two vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) lines following a partial maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.
A Polymerupdate source in Indonesia informed that the VCM line was shut on August 20, 2014. It restarted on September 15, 2014.
Located at Cilegon in Banten province, Indonesia, the VCM line which restarted has a capacity of 240,000 mt/year while the line which is operating has a capacity of 160,000 mt/year.
As MRC reported earlier, Asahimas Chemical plans to invest up to USD400 million to expand its petrochemical facility in Cilegon, Banten. The company started construction last year, according to Eddy Sutanto, a director of Asahimas Chemical.
This expansion will allow for the increased production of caustic soda to 700,000 tonnes a year from the current 500,000 tonnes a year and will increase production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to 600,000 tonnes from 280,000 tonnes.
"Construction will take at least two to two-and-a-half years. The factory is expected to start producing by the end of 2015," he added.
PT Asahimas Chemical operates integrated Chlor Alkali-Vinyl Chloride plants in Cilegon, Banten, Indonesia, and produces basic chemicals for many of downstream industries.
MRC