ExxonMobil to start up elastomer plant in Singapore this year

Singapore – ExxonMobil Corp. is expected to begin the start-up of a new 230 kilotonne per annum (ktpa) speciality polymer facility in Singapore later this year, the company has confirmed.

In correspondence with ERJ, the company said the new plant, on Jurong Island, will be producing halobutyl rubber and hydrogenated hydrocarbon resins for adhesive applications.

The halobutyl rubber expansion project will add 140ktpa of new production capacity, while the hydrocarbon resin production unit will be the world’s largest such facility, with a capacity of 90ktpa.

“We are now producing some of our most advanced plastics and elastomers in Asia. These high-performance products are in demand because they improve product performance and reduce energy and raw material use for our customers,” the company said in a statement to ERJ.

The Singapore complex, added ExxonMobil, is well positioned to serve as a platform for “profitable growth” in Asia.

ExxonMobil started construction work on the project in October 2014, following its completion of a major petrochemical expansion in Singapore.