TotalEnergies to Delay Antwerp Cracker Restart Until H2 January, Say Sources -- OPIS

TotalEnergies is delaying the restart of its 580,000 metric ton/year mixed-feed ethylene cracker in Antwerp, Belgium, until the second half of January, several sources told OPIS Wednesday.

The producer initially shut down the cracker in October and the turnaround was expected to last up to eight weeks, according to sources and data by Chemical Market Analytics (CMA), an OPIS company by Dow Jones.

A major turnaround was scheduled at two of the three sites in Antwerp from September until the beginning of December 2023, according to TotalEnergies. It warned of flaring at the refinery from Sept. 25 onwards, according to a company statement issued that same month.

TotalEnergies did not reply to an OPIS request for an update or more information on the units affected.

The French energy major said it intended to invest an additional €3 million ($3 million) alongside the maintenance work at its polymer site located at Scheldelaan 2-4, in Antwerp.

TotalEnergies operates a separate cracker in Antwerp with an ethylene production capacity of 570,000 mt/year, according to CMA data.

The Antwerp complex produces fuel oil, gasoline, liquid petroleum gas, diesel and jet fuel, TotalEnergies said on its website. It can also manufacture products such as propylene and aromatics.

This content was created by Oil Price Information Service, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. OPIS is run independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

--Reporting by Fahima Mathé, [e-mail]; Editing by Rob Sheridan, [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 10, 2024 12:46 ET (17:46 GMT)

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