Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corp (FCFC) has taken its No.1 Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) unit in Ningbo, China, offline, according to market sources. Industry participants report that the plant was heard to have been shut on or around September 4, 2025, for maintenance-related reasons.
While the company has not provided an official statement, sources indicate that the precise duration of the shutdown remains uncertain. Attempts to secure confirmation from authorized representatives were inconclusive, leaving the industry to speculate on how long the plant will remain idled.
The Ningbo-based No.1 PTA plant has a nameplate capacity of 1.2 million metric tons per year, making it one of the significant contributors to PTA production in the region. As PTA is a vital feedstock for polyester, any disruption in production is closely tracked by downstream players in the textile and packaging industries. Even temporary shutdowns can have implications for supply availability, especially at a time when regional markets are sensitive to fluctuations in feedstock output.
Observers note that FCFC’s operational move could influence sentiment in the PTA and polyester value chain, depending on the length of the outage and the pace at which the unit resumes production. Ningbo’s strategic position as a hub for petrochemical and textile-related industries adds further weight to the impact of this development, as the plant plays an important role in serving both domestic demand and export-linked supply chains.
Market participants will be watching closely for further updates, with expectations that clarity may emerge in the coming weeks regarding the timeline of the maintenance work and its broader implications for regional PTA availability.
