South Korea’s YNCC restarted No. 2 cracker, achieved on-spec output

According to market sources, Yeochun Naphtha Cracking Centre (YNCC) has restarted the No. 2 naphtha cracker in Yeosu, South Korea on 14 January 2021 following a two-and-a-half-month shutdown for expansion. 

The expanded cracker is now capable of producing 915,000 tons/year of ethylene, up from the previous 580,000 tons/year and 550,000 tons/year of propylene, up from 270,000 tons/year previously. Sources reported that the cracker has reached on-spec ethylene output at the time of this report.

YNCC is a joint venture between South Korean firms Hanwha and Daelim. The new ethylene capacity would be supplied to Daelim’s new mPE plant at the adjacent location. 

YNCC owns two other naphtha crackers in Yeosu with a combined capacity of 1.325 million tons/year.