Shell Cracker Run Rate Cut Impacts Propylene Oxide Production

In Europe, Shell Chemical's wholly-owned propylene oxide/styrene monomer plant at Moerdijk, Netherlands, has been impacted by run rate cuts at the company's steam cracker at the same location, a company spokesman said March 5.

A second Shell and BASF's joint venture POSM plant at the site was confirmed March 2 to have been impacted. The Moerdijk site has two POSM plants: Shell's wholly owned plant, with a capacity of 450,000 mt/year, and Ellba, a 50:50 Shell joint venture with BASF, which has a capacity of 550,000 mt/year. Both receive ethylene feedstock from the steam cracker. "Both units are affected in the same degree by the cracker problem," the spokesman said in an email March 5, without providing details.

Shell declared force majeure on ethylene and propylene supply from its Moerdijk site March 1 after technical problems hampered operations at the 900,000 mt/year steam cracker.