Indian state-controlled petrochemical producer Opal has scheduled a turnaround at its Dahej petrochemical complex from 1 April for 30 days.
Opal's distributors informed buyers that there will be no availability during the turnaround as all units at Dahej will shut down. The complex in Gujarat state on India's west coast is capable of producing 1.1mn t/yr of ethylene and 400,000 t/yr of propylene. Its butadiene and benzene extraction units have capacities of 115,000 t/yr and 150,000 t/yr respectively.
The petrochemical complex also has two low-linear density polyethylene (LLDPE)/high density polyethylene (HDPE) swing units with a combined capacity of 720,000 t/yr, a 340,000 t/yr HDPE plant and a 350,000 t/yr polypropylene (PP) plant.
The impact on demand of the Covid-19 Omicron variant has created anxiety for Indian polymer participants, forcing buyers to the market sidelines. But rising crude prices have lifted future sentiment, with buyers looking to restock on the upwards momentum in polymer prices.
Argus on 28 January assessed Indian LLDPE film, HDPE film and PP raffia at $1,230-1,250/t, $1,260-1,280/t and $1,350-1,370/t respectively, all on a cfr India basis.
