UPDATE: Malaysia’s PrefChem to delay restart to 2H of the year

In an official statement on 26 February 2021, Malaysia’s Petronas said that the restart at the Pengerang Refining and Petrochemical Complex (PRefChem) has been rescheduled to the second half of the year while dismissing rumor that its partner – Saudi Aramco was looking to exit the joint venture. 

PrefChem was taken offline on 16 March 2020 after an explosion hit the complex, causing severe damages. The company has been announcing several restart schedules since then, however, none has been materialized.

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.