DATE : 2014-04-04
China’s Jilin Petrochemical plans to conduct maintenance at its 106,000 tonne/year No 2 acrylonitrile (ACN) unit during 20-28 April, a company source said on Friday.
The company will restart its 106,000 tonne/year No 1 ACN unit, which has remained shut since May 2012, when the No 2 ACN unit shuts for maintenance, the source added.
The producer’s No 3 and No 4 ACN plants, which have a capacity of 120,000 tonnes/year each, will undergo maintenance from 5 May to 24 May, the source said, adding that it may result in a production loss of about 5,000 tonnes of ACN.
Currently, the No 2, No 3 and No 4 units are running at full of capacity, the source said.
China’s Jilin Chemical Fiber, a major buyer of ACN from Jilin Petrochemical, may shut its two acrylic fibre (AF) units for maintenance 2-3 days after Jilin Petrochemical begins its plant turnaround, a company source said.
The plants, with a combined capacity of 236,000 tonnes/year, are run by the company’s subsidiaries - Jilin Qifeng Chemical Fiber and Jilin Jimont Acrylic Fiber, and they are currently operating at full rate, the company source added.
However, the ACN plant shutdowns are not expected to weigh much on the ACN spot market given the lacklustre demand, a market player said.
SOURCE Icis News