据路透社5月10日首尔报道，乐天化工周五表示，该公司位于美国路易斯安那州的乙烯裂化工厂预计将在5月内开始商业运营。
该公司在一份声明中表示，随着该工厂的投产，这家韩国企业希望通过将主要以石脑油为原料，进行多元化生产，从而提高成本竞争力，以制造石化产品的关键成分乙烯。
乐天化学旗下的美国乙烯裂化工厂是与Axiall公司的合资企业（Axiall公司现在与Westlake公司合并）。乐天持有该工厂88%的股份，而Westlake公司则持有该工厂其余股份。
包括乐天化工在内的韩国石化企业，通常使用原油中提取的石脑油作为制造乙烯的原料。乙烯裂化用乙烯气体作为原料，可以利用美国廉价的页岩气。
该声明还称，乐天在美国的乙烯裂化工厂每年可生产100万吨乙烯，使其全球乙烯产量达到450万吨。
在韩国，乐天化工经营着两家石脑油裂化工厂，其乙烯的年生产能力为220万吨。
詹晓晶 摘自 路透社
原文如下：
Lotte Chemical's U.S. ethane cracker to start commercial operations in May
Lotte Chemical Corp said With the commencement of the plant, the South Korean company hopes to boost its cost competitiveness by diversifying away from mainly naphtha as a feedstock to make ethylene, a key ingredient for petrochemical products, it said in a statement.
Lotte Chemical’s U.S. ethane cracker is a joint venture with Axiall Corp, which is now merged with Westlake Corp. Lotte owns an 88 percent in the plant, while Westlake Corp holds the remainder.
South Korean petrochemicals makers including Lotte Chemical, typically use naphtha derived from crude oil as a feedstock to make ethylene. Ethane crackers use ethane gas as a feedstock and can take advantage of cheap U.S. shale gas.
Lotte’s ethane cracker in the United States can produce 1 million tonnes of ethylene a year, taking Lotte Chemical’s global ethylene output capacity to 4.5 million tonnes, the statement added.
At home, Lotte Chemical runs two naphtha crackers which have a combined ethylene production capacity of 2.2 million tonnes per year.