DATE : 2014-06-03
China's Qilu Petrochemical restarted its 80,000 tonne/year acrylonitrile (ACN) unit at Zibo in Shandong province on 3 June, following the completion of a turnaround which started on 20 May, a company source said on Tuesday.
Qilu Petrochemical would not supply spot ACN to the market yet as it is still building up stocks, the source added.
Fushun Petrochemical restarted its 92,000 tonne/year ACN unit at Fushun in Liaoning province on 2 June after completing scheduled maintenance which began on 16 May, a source from the company said.
However, Fushun Petrochemical will not be sending its spot ACN cargoes to the Shandong market until at least a few days later, the source added, without specifying the unit’s current operating rate.
Domestic ACN prices have been on an uptrend because of the short supply lately, market sources said.
However, domestic ACN prices may face downward pressure in June, since demand from the derivatives sector may not be ideal, some market players said.
Abundant supply from northern China-based plants returning from maintenance, combined with an influx of deep-sea cargoes into Shandong, may lead to an easing in supply tightness.
SOURCE Icis News