By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen
Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) said Thursday that it will upgrade
its petrochemical plant in Singapore to meet rising demand for
ethylene in Asia.
The upgrade will increase the plant's capacity to produce
olefins and aromatics--industrial chemicals used to make plastic,
paint and other products--by more than 20%, the company said. It
didn't give financial details.
"The investment will generate additional volumes to help us meet
growing demand from our customers in the region," said Ben van
Beurden, executive vice president of Shell Chemicals.
The upgrade will take place during the next maintenance
turn-around of the plant, Shell said in a statement.
The plant currently can produce 800,000 tons of ethylene a year.
It mainly uses naphtha as a feedstock.
Operations at the plant began in March 2010. It is located on
Bukom Island and is a part of the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals
Complex, the company's largest-ever petrochemical investment.
Shell's largest oil refinery, which has a capacity of 500,000
barrels a day, is also located on the island.
Write to Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen at
jacob.pedersen@dowjones.com
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