Japan's Tosoh shuts naphtha cracker for maintenance
09/03/2018 06:45
TOKYO, March 9 (Reuters) - Japanese chemical maker Tosoh
Corp 4042.T said it shut its 527,000 tonnes-per-year naphtha
cracker in Yokkaichi, central Japan, on Friday for planned
maintenance.
The shutdown is set to last through April 19, a company
spokesman said.
The company said last year it would invest about 10 billion
yen ($94 million) to upgrade the cracker by 2020, which will
include the installation of a new large-scale furnace to boost
efficiency and cut costs to make the same amount of ethylene
from smaller volumes of feedstock naphtha. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N1ID07K
The upgrade will be completed during the cracker's next
scheduled turnaround in spring 2020, the spokesman added.
The cracker has 14 existing furnaces that process naphtha.
The new large-scale furnace will replace two ageing small
furnaces that will be held in reserve, while the remaining
furnaces will be renovated to improve efficiency.
Japanese naphtha cracker operators have been trying to
adjust to a shrinking domestic demand market by closing some
crackers and cutting costs.
($1 = 106.6400 yen)
(Reporting by Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
((osamu.tsukimori@thomsonreuters.com, +813 6441 1857, Reuters
Messaging: osamu.tsukimori.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net;))