A source in China has revealed that Zhejiang Petroleum & Chemical (ZPC) has taken its No.1 Styrene Monomer (SM) plant in Zhejiang off stream for maintenance. The shutdown reportedly began around September 15, 2025, though the exact duration remains uncertain as the company has yet to issue an official confirmation.
The No.1 SM plant has an annual production capacity of 600,000 metric tons, making this stoppage a notable event in the Chinese petrochemicals sector. With such scale, even brief outages can ripple through the supply chain, especially affecting buyers and downstream producers of polystyrene, ABS, and other styrenic derivatives.
Analysts are now watching for signs of how this maintenance pause might impact domestic SM output and pricing. Some speculate that inventories may tighten if the downtime is prolonged, potentially putting pressure on styrene imports or driving them higher. Meanwhile, margins for downstream producers could come under stress depending on how quickly ZPC is able to bring the unit back into full production.
The maintenance shutdown also raises questions about spare-parts availability, workforce readiness, and logistical constraints in restoring production. Given ZPC’s importance in the styrene market, the situation could become a benchmark for how similarly large-scale producers manage maintenance windows amid rising feedstock and operating costs.
