Williams choses UOP technology for Canada PDH plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Williams has selected Honeywell's UOP C3 Oleflex process technology for the production of propylene, a valuable petrochemical used in plastics production, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The selection is the sixth win for Honeywell’s UOP Oleflex process technology in North America, as petrochemical producers move to produce propylene from propane found in natural gas.

Compared with competing processes, Honeywell says its UOP C3 Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint.

Williams’ propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility, to be located in Alberta, Canada, will convert propane recovered from oil sands off gas into polymer-grade propylene. The PDH facility will be the first in Canada and will have a capacity of approximately 1 billion lb/year.

Since the beginning of 2011, UOP has announced 10 new C3 Oleflex process units and three new C4 Oleflex process units across China, Abu Dhabi and North America. It also announced China’s first combined C3/C4 Oleflex unit, which is expected to start up in 2014.

Thus, as MRC wrote earlier, in February, 2013, UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced that its UOP Oleflex process technology had been selected by China's Longgang Chemical Co. to produce key ingredients for fuels and synthetic rubber. Also, in early 2012, Shandong Chambroad Petrochemicals selected the UOP C3 and C4 Oleflex processes to produce propylene and isobutylene at a new China project. Later last year, Zhejiang Julong Petrochemical Co. chose UOP's core technology for a new unit to manufacture propylene at its facility in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China. Recently, UOP LLC procured a contract from Fujian Meide Petrochemical Co. Ltd - a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Packing Group Company Ltd - to deploy UOP C3 Oleflex process technology for increased propylene production.

Williams is one of North America's largest natural gas gatherers and processors. Williams also has a growing midstream business in Canada focused on processing oil sands off-gas into NGLs and olefins. It also has a domestic olefins business that provides customers in the petrochemical industry with a full suite of products and services.

Honeywell is a global diversified technology and manufacturing company with a wide range of aerospace products and services, control, sensing and security technologies for buildings, homes and industry, turbochargers, automotive products, specialty chemicals, electronic and advanced materials, process technology for refining and petrochemicals and energy efficient products and solutions for homes, business and transportation.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Company announced the audited operating results of the Company and its subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2012, said Prnewswire.
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The turnover of the Group for the Year amounted to RMB93,008.3 million, representing a slight decrease of 2.63% over the previous year. Loss attributable to equity shareholders of the company amounted to RMB1,528.4 million.

Basic loss per share was RMB0.212. The board of directors of the Company does not recommend payment of a dividend for the Year.

Mr. Rong Guangdao, Chairman of Shanghai Petrochemical, said, "In the year of 2012, the world's petrochemical industry stays at a relatively low stage of the cycle, marked by a slower rate of growth in the demand for petrochemical products and diminishing gross profits in the industry. Although the production levels of China's petrochemical industry remained basically steady, the volatility in the market prices of international crude oil at high price levels, the increase in the Group's operating costs, the Group's losses in the refining business due to policy factors, the sharp fall in the prices of petrochemical products, output reduction for the purpose of carrying out maintenance work at some of the Group's production facilities, substantial reduction in long-term investment return from the subsidiaries such as Secco, led to a substantial loss in the Group's results for the Year. Faced with the challenging business environment, the Group focused its efforts on production, business operations and management; accorded priority to development quality of the projects and their economic return; continued to improve safety and environmental-friendliness and to maintain stable in production and operations; and to continue to push forward its optimisation programme. The major plants of the Phase 6 Project were successfully completed and went on stream."

For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Group's net sales amounted to RMB87,217.3 million, a decrease of 2.56% from RMB89,509.7 million for the previous year.

As MRC wrote earlier, Sinopec and PetroSA, South Africa's state-owned oil company, signed a framework agreement to build a crude refinery that is set to be the country's biggest. The 400,000-barrel-a-day plant would almost double the country's current combined capacity of 497,000 barrels from four refineries, according to data from the South African Petroleum Association. PetroSA started studying Mthombo as diesel and gasoline imports rose on the back of economic expansion, with demand exceeding local refinery output for the first time in 2007.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Dow announces start up of new photovoltaic film production line in Schkopau, Germany, said Plastemart.

The ENLIGHT Polyolefin Encapsulant Film production line in Schkopau, Germany, has been completed and the first commercial quantities have been shipped to customers. This expansion not only marks a substantial increase in global capacity, but also means that Dow is now able to supply its customers in the photovoltaic industry from within the region in Europe, Asia and the Americas, and ultimately helps customers reduce total system costs and increase global competitiveness.

As MRC wrote earlier, since 2010, Dow has tripled its production capacity for photovoltaic film. Shortly after the second photovoltaic film production plant was inaugurated in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, in early 2012, construction of this third production line in Schkopau, Germany began. The energy efficient facility was completed with no recordable injuries or process safety incidents just 10 months later in February 2013.

Dow's polyolefin chemistry enables encapsulant films to be made with a broad range of optics, moisture barrier and electrical properties, making them well suited for current c-Si solar modules and thin-film applications. "What really sets ENLIGHT Polyolefin Encapsulant Film apart from conventional films is that they can increase long-term efficiency of photovoltaic panels, help extend service life, and maintain module reliability, thus helping the industry reduce total system costs," said Mark Bradford, EMEA Product Marketing Manager for Photovoltaic Films at Dow.

ENLIGHT films can embed the solar cells under wide temperature ranges, and, unlike conventional films, provide the opportunity to reduce, and potentially eliminate, bubbling under appropriate conditions and application. This can reduce waste and shorten the production time for the module manufacturers by up to 30%.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has upgraded its ratings on LyondellBasell Industries, one of the major petrochemical global producers and the world's largest maker of polypropylene, by one notch, according to The Wall Street Journal.

S&P increased the company's ratings, citing the chemical company's continual generation of substantial discretionary cash flow and operating improvements since it exited bankruptcy three years ago.

S&P raised LyondellBasell's corporate credit rating to triple-B, two steps into investment territory, from triple-B-minus. The company's outlook is stable, the ratings firm said.

S&P expects LyondellBasell to continue benefiting from structural cost advantages for the next several years, as well as to stay disciplined in its capital investments and maintain an intermediate financial risk profile, with strong liquidity.

Two weeks ago, the company said it plans more restructuring of its European business while converting a U.S. refinery to handle more crude oil from North America rather than Venezuela.

As MRC wrote earlier, LyondellBasell will raise its ethylene capacity in North America by 18% in coming years through several debottlenecking projects. Locations where ethylene capacity will be expanded include crackers in Corpus Christi, La Porte and Channelview, Texas, according to the company. The projects are scheduled to be finished in 2014 and 2015.

LyondellBasell Industries NV is a manufacturing company. The Company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell Industries operates globally and is headquartered in the Netherlands. LyondellBasell is also a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The upcoming turnaround of Gazprom neftekhim Salavat's production of dioctyl phthalate plasticizer (DOP) has caused a stir in the Russian market, according to ICIS-MRC Price Report.

In anticipation of the shortages and rising prices of the material, some large customers are actively forming additional stocks of DOP.

Gazprom neftekhim Salavat, one of the largest Russian producers of DOP plans to stop its capacities on the turnaround on 20, April. As MRC analysts said earlier, Gazprom neftekhim Salavat had stopped its DOP capacity in late January to mid-February.

Market participants expect that in early April DOP prices in Russia will increase on growing feedstock costs: DEG (two ethylhexanol) and orthoxylene. According to market sources, DOP prices may increase at least by Rb1,500/ tonne. So, Gazprom neftekhim Salavat's turnaround and a seasonal increase in demand may result in the deficit of the DOP and spur the price growth in the second half of the month.

The deals for March deliveries of Russian DOP were at Rb68,000-71,000/tonne, including VAT and delivery.

MRC