Thailand s chemicals trade balance is going further into deficit as the petrochemicals sector struggles with competitiveness. The decline in the cost of naphtha has disadvantaged local producers reliant on ethane feedstock. ...Thailand s naphtha-based petrochemicals production will benefit from lower oil prices, but gas producers will see margins squeezed. The price movements affected Thai producers in different ways in ---- with Siam Cement Group (SCG), the largest naphtha-based producer, reporting an improvement in chemical margins while gas-based producer PTTGC saw earnings drop. Margins will influence the competitiveness of Thai producers, who are increasingly reliant on external markets. ...In the first four months of ----, the chemicals trade deficit totalled THB-.-trn. This represented a decline of --.- y-o-y with exports declining -.- y-o-y to THB--.-trn while imports fell -.- to
...PTT Global Chemical Public Company (PTTGC) is planning to add capacities of ---,--- tonnes per annum (tpa) of ethylene, ---,---tpa of propylene and ---,---tpa of C-, including butadiene from ----, utilising -.-mn tpa of naphtha from its refineries that is currently utilised by SCG. It is also set to double the company s linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) production capacity to ---,---tpa from ----. ...It is also set to double the company s linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) production capacity to ---,---tpa from ----. At PTTGC s Map Ta Phut complex it is expanding aromatics production from -.--mn tpa to -.--mn tpa as well as planning projects for --,---tpa of hexamethylene diisocyanate and ---,---tpa of phenol. SCG announced will boost its overall low density polyethylene (LDPE) production capacity by --,---tpa by ----. ...In BMI s Asia Pacific Petrochemicals Risk/Reward Index, Thailand s score has been revised downwards by -.- points to --.- points due to a decline in market and country risk scores.
...The energy masterplan involves building a third major petrochemicals complex, thereby making Thailand the regional petrochemicals hub. The government is liberalising the industry, reducing import tariffs and lessening its own direct participation. ...
