Q-Chem to export 35% HDPE from new plant to Europe, Africa

April 6 (ICIS) -- Qatar Chemical Co (Q-Chem) plans to export 35% of the output from its new high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in Mesaieed industrial city to Europe and Africa, and 55% to Asia, a company source said on Monday.

⌠Only 10% of the output will be sold locally, the source added.
The company expects to start up the new HDPE and alpha olefins plants in Qatar, each with a capacity of 350,000 tonnes/year, by the middle of 2010, he said.

The HDPE grades produced by the new plant will increasingly focus on segments such as plastic drums and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). ⌠There is a growing demand for these end use segments, the source said.
Alpha olefins are used in the production of polymers, including polyethylene.
Q-Chem is a joint venture between US major Chevron Phillips Chemical and state-owned Qatar Petroleum.

Access to Chevron Phillips' HDPE technology would give Q-Chem an edge in the high end European market, the source said. The plants will source ethylene feedstock from the recently started cracker at Ras Laffan, Qatar. The 1.3m tonne/year cracker, also known as the Ras Laffan Olefins Co, is jointly owned by Q-Chem (53%) and Qatofin (46%). Qatar Petroleum also owns the remaining 1% stake directly.

Qatofin is a joint venture between France's Total Petrochemical (36%), and state-owned groups Qatar Petrochemical Co (QAPCO) (63%) and Qatar Petroleum (1%).

Q-Chem has an existing 500,000 tonne/year cracker and 450,000 tonne/year HDPE plant at Mesaieed.

MRC


Investments in the market of polymers rolled back to the level of 2003

MOSCOW (MRC) - Total investments into equipment in the market of polymers in 2009 formed a little more than USD282 mln., which is less than one third of investments in 2008. This information is stated in MRC's Annual report.

Processors have received USD248 mln. (68% less than in 2008), polymer producers have invested about USD34 mln.


In conditions of reduction of crediting and flow-out of international investments a number of native producers continued the modernization of existing lines. PC ⌠Kuybyshevazot has made the largest investments into equipment - over USD30 mln.

The largest investments in polymer processing went into moulding equipment - over USD67 mln. Films production development is still enough attractive branch - over USD32 mln.


At the same time sheets and plates made of lightened PP actively conquer the market, replacing the other materials in wrapping and packing sectors and capacity production. So, in 2009 the production of feathered PP sheets by ⌠Rospolymer Ltd. started, not having any analogues yet. The capacity of installed extrusion line by Italian ⌠B. G. Plast is 20 tons a day.

MRC

Detailed analysis of events happened in Russian polymer market in 2009 and forecasts of development of this market in 2010 are presented in MRC's Annual reports.

Pegas cleans up with ┬50m plant expansion

April 2 (prw.com) -- Luxembourg-based Pegas Nonwovens is investing around ┬50m to expand its plant in Znojmo, Czech Republic with the installation of a new Reifenhauser production line.

The 20,000 tpa Reifenhauser Reicofil line, which is expected to go into operation during the second half of 2011, is due to raise the Czech plant's overall annual output by 25%. The company intends to increase the 380-strong workforce there by up to 50 as the production capacity expands.

The latest project is scheduled to provide the Znojmo facility with its ninth production line. It is intended to supply polypropylene and polyethylene based nonwoven textiles to the hygiene products sector. The line may be used for other product applications at a later stage.

"We hope the new production line will offer new opportunities for us and our clients, especially with regard to ultra-light materials, new two-component applications and other special materials, which we plan to start selling in 2012-14," commented managing director Frantisek Rezac when the firm announced the plan.

Pegas, which runs a second Czech plant in Bucovice, generated more than ┬123m in revenues last year. The firm is reported to have planned originally to locate the new production line in Russia, but finally chose the existing site in Moravia because most of its customers are based in Central Europe.

MRC


IndianOil starts $3.2 bln cracker to meet plastic demand

April 2 (businessweek) -- Indian Oil Corp., the nation's second-biggest refiner, started a $3.2 billion naphtha cracker in northern India to meet demand from plastic makers. Our main unit at Panipat was commissioned last month. - Serangulam V. Narasimhan, director of finance, said by telephone today, - ⌠Commissioning of the other smaller units should be completed by April.

Indian Oil may cut exports of naphtha as the refiner uses the oil-product as feedstock at the plant to produce ethylene and propylene. Demand for petrochemicals, used to make cars and home appliances, is increasing as economies emerge from the worst financial crisis in 70 years. Indian Oil will use more than 2 million metric tons of naphtha when the cracker operates at its full capacity, Narasimhan said. The plant will have a capacity to produce 857,000 tons of ethylene a year and 650,000 tons of propylene, according to the Web site.

India's naphtha exports rose 26 percent to 8.7 million tons in the 11 months to Feb. 28, compared with the year-earlier period, according to provisional data on the Web site of the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, a department of the oil ministry. The nation's naphtha exports had risen after Indian Oil increased overseas shipments because of falling domestic sales. Local demand dropped after Reliance Industries Ltd. started supplying natural gas, an alternative fuel to naphtha, from its biggest field in April.

Rival Reliance produced 1.4 million tons of ethylene and 552,000 tons of propylene from its cracker plants in western India in the three months ended Dec. 31, according to a statement on the company's Web site. Indian Oil will use naphtha produced at its Panipat, Mathura and Gujarat refineries at the cracker. Indian Oil and unit Chennai Petroleum Corp. operates 60.2 million tons of refining capacity and plans to increase it to 80 million tons a year by 2012, Narasimhan said Jan. 6.

MRC


Kraton Polymers announces european SBS price increases

April 2 (Kraton) -- Kraton Polymers LLC (together with its direct and indirect subsidiaries, "Kraton"), a leading global producer of styrenic block copolymers, continues to experience significant raw material and energy cost increases. Accordingly, Kraton announces a general price increase in Europe, Africa and the Middle East of Euro 250 /MT for Kraton SBS and OE SBS polymers and compounds across all markets and end-uses.

Subject to the terms of any applicable contracts, these price increases will take effect April 15, 2010.

MRC