MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's BP Zhuhai will be shutting its No. 3 purified terephthalic acid (PTA) production plant on 22 February for a short turnaround, reported TPS with reference to industry sources.
According to a Chinese PTA producer, the BP plant will be down for about seven days. BP was not available for comment.
The No. 3 plant, with a design production capacity of 1.25 million mt/year, is the world's largest single train PTA unit. BP had announced its official start-up on July 3, 2015.
This means the company will only be running at No. 2 PTA unit this week, which was recently restarted in January after a 15-day turnaround. The No. 2 unit is able to produce 1.1 million mt/year. The No. 1 unit, which is able to produce 600,000 mt/year, has been mothballed since September 2014.
"The stoppage will not have a huge impact on prices," a Chinese trader told TPS, as Yisheng Petrochemicals had indicated that they will be restarting its No. 3 unit in Ningbo on Feb 25. Yisheng's No. 3 PTA unit has an annual operating capacity of 2 million mt/year.
As MRC reported earlier, BP on July 3 celebrated the official start-up of the Phase 3 PTA plant of Zhuhai Chemical Co., enhancing its position in the PTA market and its long-term commitment in China. The completed Phase 3 plant, with a design production capacity of 1.25 million tonnes per year, is the world’s largest single train PTA unit, according to BP.
BP Zhuhai Chemical Company was formed in 1997 as a joint venture between BP, which holds 85% stake, and Zhuhai Port Co, with 15% stake.
BP is one of the world's leading international oil and gas companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemicals products for everyday items.
MRC