Asian crackers eyeing LPG as cheaper feedstock alternative to naphtha

Asia's petrochemical makers are shifting, or considering to use propane as alternate steam cracker feedstock amid the deepening discount of propane to naphtha, as LPG is pressured by ample supply and a lull in Chinese and Indian demand, traders said Jan. 21. South Korean crackers have started seeking propane, traders said, even when the discount of February FEI propane swap to the Mean of Platts Japan naphtha was around $26.25-$26.50/mt over Jan. 17-18, before widening to $36/mt Jan. 20. This is the deepest discount since June 8, 2021, at $41.50/mt, Platts data showed. In contrast, the difference between FEI propane and MOPJ naphtha was at a premium of $185/mt on Oct. 4 last year.