Jiangsu Sailboat delays MTO start-up to mid-2016

OREANDA-NEWS. China's Jiangsu Sailboat has delayed the start-up of its new 800,000 t/yr methanol-to-olefins (MTO) unit to mid-2016.

The start-up was initially scheduled for early 2016, but has been pushed back because of the delayed arrival of key facilities that are now expected at the end of this year. Construction is expected to be completed in the middle of next year.

Sailboat plans to start three propylene downstream units in October using purchased propylene. The facilities comprise a 60,000 t/yr super absorbent polymer (SAP) unit, an 80,000 t/yr methyl methacrylate (MMA) unit and a 260,000 t/yr acrylonitrile plant.

Sailboat will have a surplus of about 50,000 t/yr of propylene after its internal consumption at full capacity.

The firm's ethylene downstream units, including EVA/LDPE and ethylene oxide plants, are still under construction and will start operations after the MTO plant.

The MTO plant at Lianyungang city in Jiangsu province is the first phase of Sailboat's 24bn yuan (\\$3.8bn) project that will produce 320,000 t/yr of ethylene and 480,000 t/yr of propylene.