London -- Shell Chemicals Ltd has started up a 750-kilotonnes-per-annum (ktpa) capacity monoethylene glycol (MEG) unit at its Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex in Singapore.
The successful start up of this unit - one of the largest in the world -- reinforces Shell's ambitions to maintain a leading position in the expanding Asian petrochemicals market, a 17 Nov statement from Shell said.
The Singapore complex on Jurong Island includes an 800-ktpa ethylene cracker, a butadiene plant and modifications to Shell's Bukom refinery, which are planned to start up in early 2010.
The Singapore MEG plant is Shell's first one using its OMEGA processing technology, which Shell claims, "gives the highest commercial yields of MEG from ethylene."
Singapore is an ideal location to serve Asian customers from within the region, Shell said. Asia currently accounts for around 70 per cent of global MEG consumption, according to the group: much of its new capacity will be destined for China, where demand for MEG continues to grow.
MEG is used to make polyester fibres and film, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins and engine coolants.
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