據ICIS網站5月15日休斯頓報道 美國苯乙烯供應本周略有收緊，因生產商INEOS Styrolution自3月開始定期維護以來，一直在德克薩斯州的德克薩斯市關閉工廠。該工廠原計劃4月份重新開工，但由于目前市場形勢不利，可能會推遲。AmSty在路易斯安那州圣詹姆斯的95.3萬噸/年工廠重新啟動了第二套裝置。

建筑業、汽車業和家電業放緩導致的苯乙烯需求減少，超過了潛在的供應短缺。包裝應用的需求在4月份有所上升，5月份下降了30-40%，并已恢復到冠狀病毒前的水平。

苯乙烯需求下降的原因之一是，3月中旬美國汽車工人聯合會（UAW）一名成員在密歇根州沃倫的一家工廠感染了冠狀病毒，導致北美大部分汽車生產停產。美國汽車制造商繼續制定恢復運營的計劃，而5月18日重啟的計劃正變得更加堅定。

由于本周達成的交易在前一周的范圍內，現貨出口價格基本穩定。5月份生產的現貨大部分已經售出，市場參與者正在討論6月份的成交量。本周現貨出口價格保持穩定，周線區間和周五收盤區間是根據前一周跌入區間的交易進行評估。

美國5月苯乙烯合約上周被評估為小幅下跌，此前由于大流行緩解措施導致需求減少，上游苯供應量下降。5月份合同價格的小幅下降是在3月和4月出現較大幅度下降之后出現。

苯乙烯是一種用于制造乳膠和聚苯乙烯樹脂的化學品，又可用于制造塑料包裝、一次性杯子和絕緣材料。

王磊 摘譯自 ICIS

原文如下：

Tightening US styrene supply offset by demand erosion

US styrene supply tightened slightly this week as producer INEOS Styrolution kept its Texas City, Texas plant down since starting a scheduled maintenance in March. The plant was scheduled to restart in April, but it could be delayed as current market dynamics are unfavourable. AmSty restarted its second unit at its 953,000 tonne/year plant in Saint James, Louisiana.

Styrene demand erosion resulting from slowdowns in construction, automotive and appliance sectors outweighs potential supply shortages. Demand for packaging applications, which was observed higher in April, fell by 30-40% in May and has normalised to pre-coronavirus levels.

One of the reasons styrene demand has fallen is that most North American auto production was halted in mid-March, after a United Auto Workers (UAW) union member contracted the coronavirus at a plant in Warren, Michigan. US automakers continue working on plans to resume operations, and 18 May restart is firming.

Spot export prices were largely steady as deals concluded this week were within the previous week’s range. Most spot material from May production has been sold, and market participants are discussing June volumes. Spot export prices remained steady this week. The weekly range and Friday’s closing range were assessed on the deals that fell within range set in the previous week.

US May styrene contracts, which were assessed last week at a small decrease after facing downward pressure from lower upstream benzene amid demand erosion caused by pandemic mitigation efforts. The smaller decrease in contract prices for May follows larger decreases observed in March and April.

Styrene is a chemical used to make latex and polystyrene resins, which in turn are used to make plastic packaging, disposable cups and insulation.