New lubricants and aromatics plants in Singapore to be finished this year

Several foreign companies have initiated expansion programs and began constructing plants in Singapore last year; many of the projects are expected to be completed this year. Among them is Sinopec Lubricants’ first lubricant plant outside China, which is expected to be operational by September this year, with an annual production of 100,000 tons of lubricants; construction of the US$91 million plant began in July 2011. Sinopec Lubricants will make the plant its regional hub for production and logistics, and it will service Asia, Australia and New Zealand. On August 2011, Jurong Aromatics began construction of a US$2.4 billion aromatics complex on Jurong Island. Jointly owned by eight shareholders including EDB Investments (the corporate investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB)), SK Group of South Korea and Jiangsu Sanfangxiang Group of China, Jurong Aromatics will use the new complex as a dedicated port and a condensate splitter. Japan’s Zeion began constructing a US$188 million synthetics plant in September last year and chose Singapore as the site due to its easy access to feedstock supplies, proximity to regional markets and the strong intellectual-property protection. The plant will manufacture Solution Polymerised Styrene-Butadiene Rubber, which is used to produce tires. (July 5, 2012)