Asahi Kasei Chemicals will construct a large new plant for acrylonitrile (AN) in Korea as part of a strategic reinforcement of its AN business. The new plant, with capacity of 245,000 tons/year, will enable highly competitive production through the application of the company's latest technology.
As the world's second-largest AN supplier and the largest supplier in Asia, Asahi Kasei Chemicals is advancing a program to further expand its AN business as an area of global growth by the Asahi Kasei Group through concentrated investment of management resources.
Firm growth in AN demand is forecasted worldwide, particularly in Asian markets such as Korea, Taiwan, and China. The company's total AN production capacity now stands at 750,000 tons/year with 450,000 tons/year in Japan (300,000 tons/year in Mizushima and 150,000 tons/year in Kawasaki) and 300,000 tons/year in Korea.
An additional plant of 200,000 tons/year is now being constructed in Thailand by PTT Asahi Chemical Co., Ltd.—a joint venture between Asahi Kasei Chemicals, PTT Public Company Limited, and Marubeni Corp.—with start-up scheduled for mid-2011. Construction of the new plant announced today will mark a significant step for Asahi Kasei Chemicals, raising its total AN supply capacity to nearly the largest in the world.
Overview of the new AN plant
Location: Within Tong Suh Petrochemical's Ulsan plant grounds
Capacity: 245,000 tons/year
(Upon completion, total capacity will be 1,195,000 tons/year: 300,000 t/y in Mizushima, Japan; 150,000 t/y in Kawasaki, Japan; 545,000 t/y in Korea; and 200,000 t/y in Thailand)
Groundbreaking: May 2011
Start-up: January 2013
Corporate profile of Tong Suh Petrochemical Corp Ltd
President: Jong-Pil Huh
Location: Ulsan, Korea
Capital: 50.6 billion won (approx. ¥4.0 billion)
Shareholder: Asahi Kasei Corp. (100%)
Main products: AN (300,000 t/y), NaCN (40,000 t/y), etc.
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