Total amalgamates its petrochemical operation in Asia, following the latest expansion and development project for the Daesan complex in South Korea. This complex was acquired by the company as part of an equal joint-venture with Samsung, Samsung Total Petrochemicals.
With estimations amounting to $1.8 B, the project involves building of ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer unit and a second aromatics unit at the Daesan petrochemical facility.
The production capacity of the new aromatics unit will include 1MT of paraxylene and 420,000 mt of benzene for a single year and will complete its construction by September 2014. Paraxylene plays a key role in the production of polyester and benzene serves as a major component in the manufacture of petrochemical products such as styrene2.
The overall paraxylene production capacity will have an increase of 1.76 MT , following the achievement of constructing the aromatics unit in 2014 as well as the renovation of the present paraxylene capacity in 2012.
The new EVA unit will generate over 240,000 MTPA of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers. The resulting resin has a wide range of application facilitating the operation of products including solar panels, adhesives and electrical cables. This resourceful, flexible and eco-friendly EVA anticipates consistent growth in future.
The President of Total’s Refining - Chemicals business Patrick Pouyanné says that this recent project along with Samsung complies with the Total’s expansion strategy in future markets. Such partnerships offer inconsistent support to build a strong foundation to implement its strategies to promote further innovations and developments.