Siam Cement plans Vietnamese petrochemical plant

March 26, 2008
Thailand's Siam Cement PLC has formed a partnership with two Vietnamese state firms to build a world-scale, $4 billion petrochemical complex in southern Vietnam.

By an OGJ correspondent
BANGKOK, Mar. 26 -- Thailand's Siam Cement PLC has formed a partnership with two Vietnamese state firms to build a world-scale, $4 billion petrochemical complex in southern Vietnam.

The complex will be built on Long Son Island in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, adjacent to Vietnam's third refinery.

Siam Cement, through subsidiaries, holds a 71% stake in the greenfield scheme, with Vietnam Oil & Gas Group and Vietnam National Chemical Corp. taking the rest.

The complex will consist of a naphtha-based cracker with an olefins capacity of 1.65 million tonnes/year and facilities capable of producing 1.45 million tpy of polyolefins, 280,000 tpy of Chlor-Alkali, 330,000 tpy of ethylene dichloride (EDC) and 400,000 tpy of vinyl chloride monomer (VCM).

The development also will include utilities and basic support structures, such as port and storage facilities.

SCC said initial operation will begin in 2011 with EDC and VCM production, and the plant will become fully operational in 2013.

Output from the planned complex will be supplied to such industries in Vietnam as automotive, consumer goods packaging, and aluminum.