As the downstream demand for pure benzene in Asia has been very strong, and the new capacity is limited, the supply of pure benzene in this year is very tight. According to relevant statistics, the demand for pure benzene in the Asian region will increase by 1 million tons per year. And the Middle East has a total of 650,000 tons / year of equipment put into operation.
Since the end of 2016, the supply of pure benzene in Asia has been tight, causing the spot price to soar to about US$1,000/ton at the beginning of 2017. In 2017, a pure benzene plant with a capacity of 500,000 tons/year was completed and put into production in India. The Korean producers carried out a capacity expansion during the overhaul of the cracker, which increased the original benzene capacity by 400,000 tons/year. However, due to the failure of the relevant equipment operation and the increase in benzene demand, the benzene in the Asian market in 2017 Supply has not yet seen loose.
In the fourth quarter of 2016, the unplanned shutdown of US aromatics plants led to an increase in styrene production in Asia, and demand for pure benzene in Asia increased significantly. By the end of November, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries reached an agreement to reduce production and promote international oil prices. In addition, coal The reduction in the supply of base-pure benzene has also increased market supply pressure, thus pushing the spot price of pure benzene in Asia in January 2017 to exceed the $1,000/ton mark, and the price difference between pure benzene and naphtha exceeded $500/ton. The price of pure benzene has dropped, but the market supply has not improved much. At the beginning of 2018, the price of pure benzene in Asia soared to nearly $1,000/ton.
Other factors driving the sharp rise in the price of pure benzene include: delays in construction and expansion of pure benzene plants, increased purchases before major overhauls, and stricter environmental regulations in China, leading to a decline in domestic production, etc. The flow of pure benzene trade also confirms These factors, especially China's demand and influence, are increasing.
With the continuous construction and expansion of downstream derivatives factories, China's imports of pure benzene continued to increase. In 2017, China's imports of pure benzene increased by 61.6% year-on-year to 2.5 million tons, and imports in 2016 were 1.5 million tons. 2017 Japan Pure benzene exports fell by 15.4% to 751,000 tons, but exports to China expanded by 2.5 times to 150,000 tons.
According to the Japan Aromatics Industry Association, the total demand for pure benzene, toluene and xylene in Japan (including domestic demand and exports) reached a new record of 13.416 million tons in 2017, up 5% year-on-year. The demand for the main downstream market of pure benzene is generally stable and growing. Among them, demand for styrene, polystyrene (PS), ABS resin and expanded polystyrene (EPS) has been steadily increasing, with a substantially double-digit growth.