“A main reason is that the supply in the world market is still tight due to the production limitation of oil refineries and several aromatics producers especially in the US, whereas the demand for products continues to rise. Therefore, it is expected that this trend should continue to keep high product to feed margin to the first quarter of 2007,” Mr. Permsak said.
President said that the price of products in 2007 is likely to continue to rise to the second to third quarter of the year because it enters the season where the annual demand normally increases. Moreover, no additional production at the significant level would enter the world market because the new facilities, most of which would come from the Middle East, have been delayed by 2 years. Most of them would be completed in 2009 to 2010.
In 2007, ATC will have the production volume increasing from 2006 by 15 percent as the aromatics plant will run in fully new capacity throughout 12 months, especially paraxylene whose production capacity rises from 495,000 tonnes a year to 530,000 tonnes a year. And the facility for cyclohexane's production will run in full capacity at 150,000 tonnes a year, whereas in 2006, the facilities were suspended for 30 days for maintenance works.
As for the progress of the Aromatics and Reformers Complex II project as of October 30, 2006, the progress has been made by 41 percent as planned. The project would be able to commercially operate in the third quarter of 2008.
Aromatics (Thailand) Public Company Limited
marketing@alchempro.com
