2026-10-17
- Aster Chemicals and Energy (Aster) plans to restart a revamped condensate splitter on Bukom Island in Singapore in November 2026, Hydrocarbon Processing reported on October 15, 2026.
- The unit has a nameplate capacity of about 70,000 b/d (barrels per day) and is reported to process ultra-light condensate mainly into naphtha used as petrochemical feedstock.
- The unit has not operated in the past decade, and a restart would raise Bukom’s refining capacity slightly to more than 300,000 b/d.
- At least 1 million barrels of Australian condensate arrived in early October, another cargo is reported to be secured for November, and repairs to the single buoy mooring (SBM) facility used for crude unloading are likely to finish around year-end.
Aster, which operates the refining and petrochemical site on Bukom Island in Singapore, plans to restart a condensate splitter with a nameplate capacity of about 70,000 b/d in November 2026, according to Hydrocarbon Processing. In its October 15, 2026 report, the publication said the unit has not operated in the past decade. Aster is a joint venture of Indonesia’s Chandra Asri and Glencore, and is reported to have taken over the Bukom and Jurong Island sites in April 2025.
A restart would raise Bukom’s refining capacity slightly to more than 300,000 b/d, and feedstock is expected to center on ultra-light condensate. The report relies on several anonymous sources, shipping data from Kpler and Vortexa, and a notice from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Aster and Glencore both declined to comment, according to the report.
The unit in question is a condensate splitter on Bukom Island that Aster operates. A condensate splitter distills ultra-light condensate into light fractions such as naphtha, and this unit is reported to produce mainly naphtha for use as petrochemical feedstock. The report describes it as a “revamped” splitter but does not give details of the revamp work, and it does not state why the unit stopped operating.
Aster is reported to have taken full ownership of the splitter in 2025. According to the report, Aster, the joint venture of Chandra Asri and Glencore, took over the Bukom and Jurong Island sites in April of that year. Reuters reported in February 2026 that Aster had earlier planned to bring the units online in the second half of 2026, so the November target narrows that timing.
Feedstock arrangements are described in some detail. At least 1 million barrels of Australian condensate bought through Glencore arrived in early October, and at least one more cargo has been secured for arrival in November. In the week before the report, about 650,000 barrels of Northwest Shelf condensate (aboard the tanker Pis Rinjani) and about 570,000 barrels of Ichthys condensate (aboard the Torm Helene) were discharged at Bukom. The report says the Northwest Shelf cargo was the first full-sized cargo to reach Bukom since 2015.
Crude-unloading infrastructure is also being repaired. Work on the SBM facility is likely to finish by year-end, and according to an MPA notice, reinstatement works run until November 30 and seabed pipeline repairs until December 21. Once the repairs are complete, Aster would be able to import crude on larger tankers, and the report notes that no very large crude carrier (VLCC) has berthed at Bukom since December 2022.
The report cites lower feedstock costs as a motivation, saying that wars in the Middle East and Ukraine have tightened global fuel supplies.
Numbers
- Unit: condensate splitter with a nameplate capacity of about 70,000 b/d
- Main product: naphtha for use as petrochemical feedstock
- Restart target: November 2026 (earlier planned for the second half of 2026, per Reuters in February 2026)
- Idle period: the unit has not operated in the past decade
- Bukom refining capacity: to rise slightly to more than 300,000 b/d after the restart
- Feedstock: at least 1 million barrels of Australian condensate (early October), about 650,000 barrels of Northwest Shelf and about 570,000 barrels of Ichthys condensate (discharged the previous week), and at least one more cargo secured for November
- Northwest Shelf cargo: first full-sized cargo to reach Bukom since 2015
- SBM repairs: reinstatement works until November 30 and seabed pipeline repairs until December 21 per the MPA notice, with overall completion likely by year-end
- VLCC berthing: none since December 2022
Timeline
- 2015 — Last full-sized Northwest Shelf condensate cargo reached Bukom before the one discharged this month
- 2022-12 — Last VLCC berthed at Bukom
- 2025-04 — Aster, the Chandra Asri–Glencore joint venture, takes over the Bukom and Jurong Island sites
- 2025 — Aster takes full ownership of the splitter
- 2026-02 — Reuters reports Aster planned to start the units in the second half of 2026
- 2026-10 (early) — More than 1 million barrels of Australian condensate arrive
- 2026-10 (second week) — About 650,000 barrels of Northwest Shelf and 570,000 barrels of Ichthys condensate discharged
- 2026-10-15 — Hydrocarbon Processing reports the November restart plan
- 2026-11 — Target for restarting the splitter
- 2026-11-30 — SBM reinstatement works scheduled to end (MPA notice)
- 2026-12-21 — Seabed pipeline repairs scheduled to end (MPA notice)
Note
Condensate is an ultra-light liquid hydrocarbon produced together with natural gas, and b/d (barrels per day) is the number of barrels processed per day. A Single Buoy Mooring (SBM) facility is a buoy-type offshore mooring that allows large tankers to unload crude oil.