PETRONAS chooses Spheripol technology from LyondellBasell for two PP plants

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PETRONAS (Petroliam Nasional Berhad) has chosen the Spheripol technology from LyondellBasell for two 300 KTA polypropylene (PP) units to be located in Pengerang, Malaysia, LyondellBasell announced on 10 December.

"PETRONAS’ selection confirms the outstanding reliability of the Spheripol process and its wide acceptance as the leading polypropylene process technology to produce a wide range of premium-quality PP grades," said Bob Patel, Senior Vice President of Olefins and Polyolefins, Europe, Asia, International and Technology at LyondellBasell.

Spheripol process technology is characterized by leading monomer consumption, unmatched product quality, operability among the best in the industry, and fast start-up and grade changes. Spheripol’s capacities of up to 550 KT per year make it the technology of choice for the production of polypropylene.

We remind that, as MRC reported earlier, in early July, LyondellBasell announced that ZapSibNeftekhim L.L.C, a fully owned subsidiary of SIBUR, has selected the Spheripol process technology from LyondellBasell for a new 500 KT per year single-line polypropylene (PP) plant to be built in Tobolsk, Russia Federation.

LyondellBasell is one of the world’s largest plastics, chemical and refining companies, which manufactures products at 58 sites in 18 countries. LyondellBasell products and technologies are used to make items for such industries, as packaging, electronics, automotive parts, home furnishings, construction materials and biofuels. LyondellBasell is a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies with more than 250 polyolefin process licenses.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- North American PVC for the Russian market keeps rising in value in December. Some market players expect the further growth of PVC prices for shipment in January, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

After a short-term slash of export PVC prices in the USA in early November, the North American resin has kept rising in price rapidly. By mid-December, the cost of North American PVC for the Russian market had grown to the level of USD980-1,000/tonne, CFR St Petersburg, on the back of high demand in the foreign markets.

In early November, traders decreased prices significantly for the Russian market on the pessimistic outlook regarding PVC sales in the foreign markets. Price offers for December shipments reached the level of USD880/tonne, CFR St Petersburg. Already in mid-November, the reduction of export prices for North American PVC was replaced by rapid growth.

North American producers have not still voiced their PVC prices for January deliveries, but some traders have already predicted a possible price rise to the level of USD1,050/tonne, CFR St Petersburg. Their forecast is based on the large contracts for December shipments and scheduled outages for maintenance at some plants in the USA in January and, as a result, limited export quotas.
MRC

(bloomberg) -- Dow Chemical, the largest U.S. chemical maker by sales, applied for a federal permit to build the company’s biggest ethylene plant as cheap natural gas gives manufacturers a cost advantage.

As MRC informed earlier, Dow Chemical would construct a new world-scale ethylene production plant at Dow Texas Operations in Freeport, Texas, as part of Dow's previously announced comprehensive plan to further connect its U.S. operations with cost-advantaged feedstocks available from increasing supplies of U.S. shale gas.

The plant in Freeport will have capacity to make 1.5 million tonnes of ethylene a year, according to Nancy Lamb, a Dow spokeswoman.

That’s the same size as Texas ethylene plants proposed by Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. and Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and it would be Dow’s largest in the world, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Construction of the USD1.7 billion plant would begin in January 2014 with operations to begin in January 2017.

Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, has increased supplies of natural gas liquids such as ethane and propane, which are converted to ethylene for use in plastics, antifreeze and hundreds of other products.

Dow is investing a total of USD4 billion in Texas and Louisiana through 2017 to increase output of ethylene and propylene. The Gulf Coast investments will boost earnings by at least USD2 billion a year after the new cracker starts, according to Andrew Liveris, Dow chairman and chief executive officertation.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Despite the rollover of the contract price of ethylene, some European makers managed to increase export prices of polyethylene (PE). European producers are going to continue the upward trend in January, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Many market participants expected European prices of PE to be cut in December, on low demand and the need to "clean up" their stock inventories of European makers in anticipation of the New Year. The contract price of ethylene in Europe for delivery in December remained at the level of November, but PE prices, on the contrary, increased.

The increased demand for polyethylene from CIS markets, as well as a limited supply of polyethylene due to lower capacity utilization allow European producers to keep export prices for December at November level, while prices of some grades increased by EUR10-40/tonne.

Most European makers increased export prices of HDPE for December in the markets of CIS countries by EUR10-20/tonne, from November, to EUR1,250-1,320/tonne, FCA. Only a few European makers have left their prices at November level. The prices of low-density polyethylene were left unchanged.

LLDPE for CIS markets increased more significantly. Amid large number of orders European makers have raised their export prices by EUR15-40/tonne, from November. Deals for December LLDPE C6 were at EUR1,400-1,520/tonne, FCA.

In January 2013, many European makers are going to continue the upward trend of prices of polyethylene, citing the high prices of feedstock (oil and naphtha), and low margins of production.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Polymer-Vector (Kemerovo), engaged in the processing of chemically contaminated plastic wastes, is going to double its processing volumes in 2013, reports Interfax-Siberia with the refrence to the General Director, Vladimir Rogov.

Thus, the company will be able to process up to 1.2 thousand tonnes of plastic wastes and to increase the production of special granules up to 80 tonnes per month to be used in the production of plastic containers, paving tiles and curbs, the polypropylene (PP) tape (the analogue of metal packaging tape).

LLC "Polymer-Vector", founded on October 2, 2007, is a resident of the Kuzbass Technopark. The company's activity includes the processing of chemically contaminated plastic wastes by using innovative waste technology. The company manufactures products from the recycled plastic granules, obtained from the processing of plastic wastes into such products as, for example, LDPE sleeve, polypropylene (PP), plastic plugs (stemming) for wells, the polymer-sand tightening, polymer-sand tiles and curbs to them, and many more.

According to the company's data, the polymer wastes makes about 12% of all the household wastes in Russia. During one year, the country produces nearly 800,000 tonnes of plastic wastes, the bulk of which is stored in landfills and only 10% is recycled.
MRC