Ethylene Latin America

摘要

Recent government-imposed natural gas curtailments in Argentina that led to lower run rates at its two ethane-fed steam crackers in Bahia Blanca have not affected Dow’s downstream production, a source with knowledge of the company’s operations said this week. “We are running smoothly at normal capacity with sufficient feedstock,” the source said. “The polyethylene plants are running strong and the customer demand is being met.” Dow’s Bahia Blanca site has an ethylene production capacity estimated at 765,000 mt/year, according to Platts Analytics data. Petrochemical producers in Argentina see feedstock supply curtailments during the winter months, when heating and other residential uses tend to be at its highest. “All aspects of our business are being met,” the source said. In trade activity, Mexico’s Petroquimica Mexicana de Vinilo, or PMV — a joint venture of Pemex and PVC maker Mexichem — was still a market topic of discussion this week, with US olefins traders saying a 4,000-mt cargo of ethylene for sale, with a mid-June loading date, could be bound for Europe.