SABIC to turn around Jubail PVC, VCM in Q4 2008

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)–Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) plans to shut down its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) plants for three weeks each in October-November 2008 for  maintenance turnarounds, a source close to the company said on Thursday.

The 400,000 tonne/year PVC unit and the 500,000 tonne/year VCM plant are both located at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

SABIC also operates a 840,000 tonne/year ethylene dichloride (EDC) plant at Al-Jubail through Sadaf, its 50:50 joint venture with Shell Chemicals. No information was available on whether or not the EDC plant would also be on a turnaround next year.

Sadaf could not be reached for comment.

SABIC plans to “” www.icis.com=”” articles=””>double its PVC and VCM output at Al Jubail, by the end of 2009 or in early 2010. The EDC capacity will not be expanded.

Middle East consumption of PVC was estimated at 1.15m tonnes in 2006. The region’s supply totals only 710,000 tonnes/year currently, as Israel’s 150,000 tonne/year plant, operated by Electrochemical Industry Ltd, has been shut since last year due to financial problems, sources close to the company said.

The region’s PVC shortfall of 440,000 tonnes/year is met by imports.