The Dow Chemical Co. recently announced that the SCG-Dow Group, a joint venture between Dow and Siam Cement Group, has finalized the startup of its new propylene oxide (PO) facility in Thailand by successfully completing its full capacity performance test. Dow reportedly reached a key milestone in October 2011 when the plant achieved stable production levels in preparation for the full capacity run scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2011. The new facility met that target on time by successfully completing the full capacity run on November 22, two months after starting raw material feeds to the plant.

The world-scale plant, located within the Asia Industrial Estates (AIE) site near Map Ta Phut, Thailand, has a nameplate capacity of 390 kilotons per year (KTA) of PO via the hydrogen peroxide to propylene oxide (HPPO) technology.

“Dow’s investment in this new facility strategically enhances its existing position as the global capacity leader in PO and better positions its derivative businesses such as Polyurethanes and Propylene Glycol,” said Steven English, global vice president of Dow Polyurethanes. “As a global strategic source point, Dow can better serve customers of these life-enhancing industries in Asia and beyond.”

For more information, visit www.dow.com.