Fire and explosion occurred at Malaysia’s PrefChem

Pengerang Refining and Petrochemical (PRefChem) confirmed that fire and explosion have occurred at its plant in the Southern state of Malaysia – Johor last night, about 10.50 PM. 

The situation is under control, however, the company has yet to reveal the details on the cause of the explosion and the impact on the production lines at the complex.

Overview:

PrefChem is a 50%-50% joint venture between Petronas and Saudi Aramco. The complex houses a naphtha cracker that produces 1.2 million tons/year of ethylene and 600,000 tons/year of propylene. 

Downstream units include a 450,000 ton/year homo-PP line, a 450,000 tons/year PP copolymer, and a 400,000 tons/year HDPE unit. The company also owns a C6-based metallocene PE plant with a capacity of 350,000 tons/year.