PCS Prepares for Propylene Capacity Expansion in Singapore

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources, Incorporated; Houston, Texas). Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (Private) Limited (PCS) (Jurong Island, Singapore) is currently working on the design for a new propylene unit addition at their existing site on Jurong Island in Singapore and a decision should be reached by the end of this year.

Utilizing two crackers, the company produces 600,000 metric tons per year of propylene. The plan is to add 10%-20% to the existing capacity, which could mean that as much as 120,000 metric tons per year of propylene production would be added to the site and sold to the Asian market, which is in need of propylene supplies. Cost for the unit addition has been estimated at $100 million and construction could commence as early as the second half of 2003.

PCS is a joint venture that is equally (50/50) owned by Japan-Singapore Petrochemicals Company Limited (JSPC) and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Private) Limited. PCS was incorporated in 1977 and after seven years of design and construction the petrochemical complex commenced production in February 1984. The PCS complex is situated on Ayer Merbau, which is one of seven islands that form Jurong Island. PCS has 400 employees and an authorized capital of $430 million (US).