SP Chemicals (Singapore) says it plans to add styrene to its product portfolio and will invest about Rmb1.1 billion ($146 million) to build a 320,000-m.t./year plant at the Taixing, China fine chemical industrial park. Construction of the styrene plant will begin next quarter and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2010 with trial production slated for the following quarter. SP currently manufactures products including aniline, chlorine, caustic soda, and downstream products. “According to industry estimates, the demand of styrene monomer outstrips supply," says Chan Hian Siang, CEO at SP. "With our track record and expertise in the production of raw chemicals, we are well placed to tap the burgeoning growth potential of this product. In China’s Yangtze Delta and Pearl Delta regions alone, the consumption of styrene accounts for about 80% of total domestic consumption. We are confident that our location at Taixing will ensure a ready catchment of potential customers for styrene,” he says.