Formosa shut Point Comfort cracker after fire

A fire broke out at Formosa’s Olefin I unit in Point Comfort, Texas on Friday, 22 December 2017, which forced the company to undertake emergency shutdown. The steam cracker has annual capacity of 618,000 tons/year.

The flame was put out by in-plant emergency response team and no injuries reported though a dozen of contaminants were emitted to the air, including benzene, butadiene, and carbon monoxide.

The restart schedule of the cracker remains unclear at the moment. It is also unsure on the possible impact of the event on the downstream units.