North China Styrene Supply-Demand Pattern Changed Amid Capacity Expansion
[Introduction] By the end of 2020, China’s styrene capacity totaled 11,970kt/a. In 2021, a total of 5,410kt/a of units are planned to be put into operation, of which about 2,140kt/a are planned to be added in the northern market, accounting for 40%, mainly concentrated in the second half of the year. According to SCI’s data, the demand gap in North China was about 380kt in 2020. In 2021, with the commissioning of new units, the supply and demand pattern in the northern market will gradually shift from short supply to supply-demand balance. After 2022, North China’s supply-demand pattern may turn into oversupply.
In 2020, China’s styrene capacity is mainly in East China, and North China ranked second with 2,492kt/a capacity, occupying 21% of the total.
In 2020, the styrene output in North China was 1,846.8kt. Tangshan Risun Aromatic Hydrocarbon was included in the total capacity of the industry in December 2020, dragging down the overall operating rate of styrene enterprises. Excluding unit turnarounds, enterprises basically ran the styrene units at the maximum load.
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