Sasol's new 380,000 mt/year ethylene oxide/monoethylene glycol unit in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has been running product, but has not yet achieved formal startup, according to a company spokeswoman.
"Our plan is to announce beneficial operation of the EO/EG unit when both achieve 72 hours of continuous on-spec production," Sasol's Kim Cuismano said in an email Friday, adding that they were "not there yet."
The Sasol complex's startup will be the latest to add product to the US MEG market.
Indorama Ventures continues to ramp up its 550,000 mt/year ethylene oxide/monoethylene glycol plant in Clear Lake, Texas, after restarting it last week upon concluding a a month-long turnaround.
And Lotte Chemical and Westlake Chemical on Thursday held a dedication ceremony for their new joint-venture 1 million mt/year steam cracker in Lake Charles, according to the companies. The cracker will feed Lotte's new 700,000 mt/year MEG plant, which started up in February, and provide ethylene for Westlake's operations in the PVC chain.
Lotte owns 90% of the facility, while Westlake owns 10% and has an option to increase its stake to 50% during its first three years of operation.
Lotte said in a statement the company expects the cracker to begin commercial operations in May.
MEG is used to make paper, textile fibers, latex paint, antifreeze, coolants, adhesives and resins. Lotte's MEG plant is expected to be the largest in the US.
