China’s Abel is considering building a second styrene monomer line that would start up in 2019, three years after the startup of its first line slated for later this year, an industry source said Wednesday.
“After checking and running the No. 1 line, then they may consider [building the second one],” he said.
S&P Global Tuesday reported another source as saying that Abel was expecting to produce on-spec SM at its new 500,000 mt/year SM plant at Taixing in Jiangsu province by the end of November.
Sources Wednesday said that construction of the plant’s 250,000 mt/year No. 1 line had been completed and that construction of the 250,000 mt/year No. 2 line had yet to commence.
Several sources also said they believed the No. 1 line had yet to start up, with one saying it could possibly start up in December.
“Abel cannot use its private port and [is] now getting feedstock via lorry,” one market participant said, explaining the lack of clarity. The plant, the company’s first SM facility, had originally been due to start up last year.
One source said the No. 1 unit would be able to operate above its 250,000 mt/year nameplate capacity, at a rate of up to 320,000 mt/year.
The company could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The startup of the plant is being closely watched in the Asian SM market amid tight supply and a dearth of deepsea cargo arrivals from the US at present.
