SK Global to Discontinue Production Of Ethylene & EPDM at Ulsan Site.

Petrotahlil - UlsanSK Global Chemical, a subsidiary of SK Innovation, plans to shut down its production processes for ethylene and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) within its naphtha cracking center in Ulsan, South Korea.

The 200,000-t/y naphtha cracker, which started com-mercial operation in 1972, and the EPDM unit, which began commercial operation in 1992, will be mothballed from December 2020 to shift the company's focus to high-value added chemicals.

Separately, SK Global Chemical's planned purchase of Arkema's functional polyolefins business is on schedule to be completed in the first half of this year (PCN, 21 Oct 2019, p 3).

Last October, Arkema announced the proposed divestment of the business to SK for an enterprise value of 335-million.

Part of the PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) business unit, functional polyolefins comprises ethylene, copolymers and terpolymers.

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