Saudi SHARQ to shut No 4 MEG unit for maintenance in mid-December

Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Petrochemical (SHARQ) expects to shut its 700,000 tonne/year No 4 monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant in Al Jubail in mid-December for a month-long maintenance, a source close to the company said on Wednesday.

The plant had an outage that lasted up to two days in late November because of mechanical issues at the unit’s reactor.

“The company needs to conduct a thorough check-up of the unit for safety concerns,” the source said.

SHARQ is a joint venture between Saudi petrochemical giant SABIC, Saudi Petrochemical Development and a consortium of Japanese firms led by Mitsubishi Corp.