Keyuan Petrochemicals has pulled the plug on its No. 1 Styrene Monomer (SM) plant in Ningbo, Zhejiang, suspending operations beginning around August 11, 2025, according to a Polymerduniya source in China. The shutdown, reportedly initiated for maintenance work, leaves market watchers anticipating news on when the unit will come back online.
This facility, which contributes a notable 100,000 metric tons per year to the company’s output, plays a vital role in both domestic styrene supply and broader downstream polystyrene production. Its temporary shutdown could further tighten inventory levels just as a revived styrene market begins to emerge.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first stoppage of its kind. Keyuan’s No. 2 SM plant, also located in Ningbo and with even higher capacity, was similarly halted recently for maintenance, underlining the firm’s systematic efforts to maintain operational integrity amidst a challenging market.
With several styrene units across China already offline, some indefinitely, the industry operating rate remains under pressure. China’s overall styrene production landscape continues evolving, influenced by a slew of restarts and shutdowns alike.
As speculators weigh the potential ripple effects across downstream markets, all eyes are on Keyuan to signal the restart date of its No. 1 SM unit, and whether it will follow the path of its sibling facility in reentering production.
