June 15, 2012:

Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical Corp will raise the average utilization rates at its 540,000 barrels per day (bpd) refinery to nearly 90 percent in July from around 67 pe r cent in June as a crude unit is about to restart, said its spokesman. Asia's fifth largest refinery owns three crude distillation units (CDUs) of equal of 180,000 bpd.  Its No. 3 CDU is to restart around July 10 after it was shut on May 10 for maintenance. Formosa also owns two gasoline-making units, or residue fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC). Each has a capacity of about 84,000 bpd.

It also operates two residue desulphurizer units (RDS) with capacity of about 80,000 bpd each. One of the RFCCs, also idled for maintenance, will resume operations in about one to two weeks, said the spokesman. Formosa has skipped spot gasoline exports in May and June as a result of the maintenance. Its No. 1 RDS is expected to restart between July 1 and 10. Formosa said its refinery operations were unaffected after a dam that supplies water to its plant was damaged by rain this week as it has other alternative supplies.

By Reuters