Jun 30 2007
ExxonMobil Chemical announced today that it will add 130,000 tons per year of capacity to its ExxsolTM hydrocarbon fluids plant in Jurong Island, Singapore. This will bring Singapore fluids production to over 500,000 tons per year. Commercial quantities of the product from the new facility are expected to be available in the fourth quarter 2008.
This increased capacity is designed to meet the demand for differentiated hydrocarbon fluid products, which is growing annually at an average rate of 5 to 6 percent in Asia Pacific. Exxsol fluids are specifically formulated to meet the broad needs of ExxonMobil Chemical customers for use in applications such as drilling mud oil, metal working, polymer processing, pharmaceutical processing, industrial cleaning, adhesives and coatings. "This expansion reinforces Singapore’s status as a world-class hydrocarbon fluids facility along with ExxonMobil Chemical’s existing world-class facilities in Antwerp, Belgium, and Baytown, Texas. This step further demonstrates our ongoing global commitment to customers as the world’s largest producer of aromatic and dearomatized hydrocarbon fluids,” said Elissa Sterry, vice president, Intermediates Global Business, ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
Asia’s increasing demand is a result of strong industrial growth, accompanied by heightened health, safety and environmental requirements of GHS (Globally Harmonized System), the international agreement to classify products uniformly, and REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals), the European legislation regulating the use of chemicals. “We believe ExxonMobil Chemical's hydrocarbon fluids portfolio is particularly well-positioned to meet or exceed the increasingly stringent regulatory and environmental requirements,” said Kittiphong Limsuwannarot, hydrocarbon fluids global marketing manager, ExxonMobil Chemical Company.
The hydrocarbon fluids expansion in Singapore is the latest announced investment in Asia by ExxonMobil. The company is participating in the Fujian Refining and Ethylene Joint Venture Projects. A study is under way for the potential expansion of the Singapore Chemical Plant that would add an ethylene cracker and several derivative units. The investments demonstrate ExxonMobil’s strong commitment to meet the fast-growing customer demand in the Asia Pacific region.