Saudi’s Petro Rabigh to restart HDPE plant; LLDPE unit to enter maintenance
Petro Rabigh shut the 700,000 tons/year PP plant in January following unspecified issues at the upstream HOFCC cracking unit that disrupted the feedstocks supply.
According to sources close to the company, Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical (Petro Rabigh) is set to restart the HDPE unit in Saudi Arabia in the first half of February, marking the completion of the annual maintenance schedule at the plant.
The 300,000 tons/year HDPE line was taken offline in late December 2023.
Meanwhile, the producer also planned to shut the 350,000 tons/year No. 2 LLDPE unit at the same location for maintenance right after the HDPE plant came online, sources said. The duration of the overhaul is unclear at the time of this report, however, the 250,000 tons/year No. 1 LLDPE unit is unaffected by the maintenance schedules.
Petro Rabigh shut the 700,000 tons/year PP plant in January following unspecified issues at the upstream HOFCC cracking unit that disrupted the feedstocks supply. The plant was initially slated to restart in 30 days, however, given the poor market conditions and rising shipping costs, the producer might postpone the restart date, industry insiders reported.