Celanese looks to sell Spain vinyl acetate plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US-based Celanese is attempting to sell its vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) unit in Tarragona, Spain, the company said on Wednesday, according to Hydracarbonprocessing.

The capacity of the VAM unit is 200,000 tpy, according to the company. Celanese said it is committed to taking the appropriate time to find a "credible buyer" for the unit, with primary focus on industrial candidates.

To help with the sales process, Celanese has hired Paris-based consultancy JH Lillian & Co., an advisory firm specializing in the chemicals industry.

Celanese said the decision to sell the plant was driven by a recently completed assessment of the company's overall corporate strategy, which included an assessment of the company’s global manufacturing facilities.

"Specifically in support of the company’s Acetyl Intermediates business, the manufacturing footprint strategy favors integrated production sites that provide critical economies of scale," Celanese officials said.

The company is also looking to sell a 34,000 tpy acetic anhydride facility in Roussillon, France.

"The sale process for both facilities will be open to a broad range of candidates," the company said.

"However, the selection of the buyers will be based on specific criteria, including the ability of the buyers to ensure sustainable operations, retain employees and their ability to meet certain financial conditions."

As MRC wrote before, Celanese and Mitsui & Co. have agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture for a previously announced project to produce methanol at Celanese's integrated chemical plant at Clear Lake, TX.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Technip with Samsung Engineering Co Ltd and China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corporation, was awarded by Pacific NorthWest LNG Limited Partnership a contract for the front end engineering design and the early detailed engineering services of a grassroot liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, said the producer.

This project is proposed to be located on Lelu Island, British Columbia, Canada.

The project will include two six-million tons per year LNG trains, process units and marine facilities,inlet facilities, utilities and power generation, off-sites including buildings and jetty topside facilities. This contract is part of a multiple design competition scheme.

Technip’s operating center in Rome, Italy will execute the contract together with the consortium project team in Seoul, Korea and Beijing, China. Technip will be in charge of the LNG trains, the process units and marine facilities. The project is scheduled for completion in the second semester of 2014.

As MRC wrote earlier, Technip won FEED work on Sibur PE project. The first contract concerns a linear low/high density gas phase polyethylene plant. Meanwhile, the second deal is for a high density slurry phase polyethylene plant, the company said. Each plant will consist of two parallel production trains with a total capacity of 1.5 million tpy of polyethylene.

Technip is a world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry.
Present in 48 countries, Technip has state-of-the-art industrial assets on all continents and operates a fleet of specialized vessels for pipeline installation and subsea construction.

Samsung Engineering is one of the world’s leading engineering, procurement, construction and project management (EPC&PM) companies. With experience in over 30 countries, the company provides total project management from planning and financing through to construction and commissioning and has built some of the world’s largest and most complex hydrocarbon and industrial plants and facilities.

China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corporation (HQC), affiliated with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), is an intelligence-intensive, technology-intensive and technology-oriented state-owned backbone enterprise. HQC has fulfilled the tasks of consultation, engineering, construction and EPC contracting for over 2,000 cross-industry large-and medium-scale domestic and foreign projects in more than 50 years.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Romanian construction materials producer AdePlast, owned by businessman Marcel Barbut, has recently opened a new polystyrene factory in Oradea, Romania, following an investment of EUR 3.2 million, according to Romania-insider.

The new plant’s production capacity is 700,000 cubic meters per year. Through the new production facility, the company aims to cover the Eastern and Northeastern part of the country with lower costs, and also to serve customers in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

This is AdePlast’s second polystyrene factory, after the one located in Ploiesti and the company plans to open a third one in Romania this June, according to Marcel Barbut, CEO Adeplast. "The development of the other industrial platforms in Ploiesti and Roman will continue throughout this year, for July we plan the opening of the paint factory in Ploiesti," added Barbut. AdePlast invested a total of EUR 22 million in the three local platforms, at Oradea, Ploiesti and Roman.

By opening the new factory in Oradea, the Romanian manufacturer aims to consolidate its position in neighboring Hungary and in Western Europe, with exports being a development target for the following years. "Bulgaria, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Austria, Germany or Lebanon are markets where we will be increasingly more present; in the first four months, we already had a 49% export increase compared to the same period last year," said Marcel Barbut.

AdePlast is owned by Romanian investor Marcel Barbut and was founded in Oradea, in 1994. The company currently has 250 employees across the country. AdePlast now owns two production units, at Oradea and Ploiesti. Their annual capacity reaches 700,000 tonnes of mortar and 800,000 tonnes of tincture, decorative coating and special humid adhesives.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - After February surge Russia's production of finished products made of polymers has been going down since March. April production of polymer products grew only by 2%, according to MRC analysts.

In February 2013 the production of finished products made of polymers in Russia grew by 15%. In March, many Russian companies on the back of the weak demand in the domestic market reduced the production of finished products.

April production of key goods made of polymers (pipes and films) fell to the lowest level, which reflects the current state of the Russian economy. According to the Federal State Statistics Service, the total production of pipes, hoses and fittings made of polymers in Russia in April totalled 48,100 tonnes, which is 2% more than in March.

In January - April of this year the total production of pipes, hoses and fittings made of polymer was 175,000 tonnes, which corresponds to the same period in 2012. The output of polymer non-reinforced and combined films rose in April by 3.5% compared to the same period last year and amounted to 77,100 tonnes.

Over the four months of this year, the total production of these products made 260,000 tonnes.

Unusually high rates of output were seen in the construction sector, in particular the production of plastic windows, window sills, doors, especially considering that the entire construction sector this year shows a negative trend.
The production of plastic windows with boxes and window sills in April of this year was 2.2 million sqm, which is 30% more than in March.

The production of doors and boxes made from polymers has grown by 31% and amounted to 124,600 sqm. Over the January - April of this year the total production of plastic windows and sills , as well as doors totalled 6.1 mln sqm and 233,000 sqm, respectively, up 13% and 7% compared with the same period last year.

According to market participants, the increase in output resulted from the expansion of the calculated base, rather than the improvement in the sector of profile-moulded PVC products.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Ufaorgsintez (part of "Bashneft"), Russia's largest petrochemical company, resumed polypropylene (PP) production after a weekly shutdown for maintenance, according to MRC analytics.

On Sunday, 12 May, the company stopped its PP production for a scheduled turnaround. Initially the maintenance works were to last for two weeks, but company's employees managed to complete them within a week's time. PP production was resumed on Monday, 20 May.

The annual capacity of PP unit is 100,000 tonnes. Over the first four months of the year, Ufaorgsintez produced about 43,000 thousand tonnes of polypropylene.

As reported, at night, 26 April, Ufaorgsintez shut its production of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and PP due to a power failure. Repair works lasted 2 days.

A scheduled turnaround at LDPE production is planned for September this year.

OAO "Ufaorgsintez" (part of "Bashneft") specializes in the production of petrochemical products, plastics and synthetic rubber in primary forms.
MRC