The company received end September an operating license from the Department of Industrial Works under Thailand's Ministry of Industry for the expanded BPA line while that for for the polycarbonate line is expected in October, Bayer Thai Managing Director Dominikus von Pesca, who is also its
senior representative for Asean, told Platts.
The two projects will increase Bayer's BPA production capacity to 280,000 mt/year and polycarbonate output to 275,000 mt/year. Both plants are located at Map Ta Phut.
BPA is a raw material for making polycarbonate, a plastic used in household appliances, electronic goods, and automotive and aircraft components. BPA is derived from phenol and acetone.
The expanded BPA line is expected to come online over late October-early November, while the polycarbonate line is due on stream mid-December.
The expansion projects were among the 74 at Map Ta Phut that the Thai Central Administrative Court allowed to proceed on September 2 . A total of 76 projects were ordered to suspend work on September 29, 2009.
By the end of 2010, Bayer Thai's parent, Germany-based Bayer MaterialScience, is expected to make a decision on whether to build a new polycarbonate plant in Thailand or China.
Production at the new plant is expected by 2013-14, with a nameplate production capacity of 200,000-300,000 mt/year.
BMS also operates a 200,000 mt/year polycarbonate plant in Shanghai, China.
China Chemical Weekly: http://news.chemnet.com/en/detail-1411716.html
