Synthos Dwory announced an increase in export PS prices for CIS countries

MOSCOW (MRC) - Russia's production of polycarbonate (PC) was 18,330 tonnes in Q1 2014, up 3% from the same period in 2013, according to MRC ScanPlast.

Monthly PC capacity at Kazanorgsintez is 5,900 tonnes. The producer's PC capacities have been loaded more than by 100% over the reported period. Kazanorgsintez produces injection moulding and extrusion grade PC.

The producer's output over the three months of the year accounted for 70% of extrusion grade PC and 30% injection moulding grade PC.
Kazanorgsintez produced 12,800 tonnes of sheet extrusion PC and 5,500 tonnes of injection moulding PC in Q1 2014.
The producer has increased PC shipment to the domestic market over the reported period, reducing exports. The producer's PC exports in Q1 2014 was 2,600 tonnes.

The structure of Kazanorgsintez's PC exports over the reported period was as follows. Production of injection moulding PC be the producer was 2,200 tonnes in Q1 2014, which made 86% from the total producer's exports over the reported period. Its exports of extrusion PC was 373 tonnes in Q1 2014, which made 14% of the total producer's exports.

Kazanorgsintez is focused on the saturation of domestic market with extrusion PC on the back of seasonally stronger demand for this material.

The devaluation of the Russian rouble and higher prices for imports also contributed to stronger demand for the Russian material.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Veolia was awarded a contract worth over EUR15 million with Formosa Petrochemical, a leading Taiwanese refiner and olefins producer, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

As per Formosa's goal to expand the production capacity of its Mai Liao petrochemical complex (on the southwest coast of Taiwan) and reduce its surface water consumption, Veolia will proceed to an upgrade of the site's water treatment plant.

This solution and the technologies implemented by Veolia on this site will provide for an important decrease in raw water consumption of the plant (from 60,000 m3/day down to 25,000 m3/day, of which 5,000 m3/day of water reused), yet also give higher treatment of effluents and protection of the environment in this region, in particular of a rare and unique species of pink dolphins.

In the framework of this contract, the result of a cooperation between the companies to lay out the most appropriate technology, Veolia will design the water treatment plant upgrade, supply the technology and equipment and guarantee a performance on the upgraded plant.

Solutions used at the Mai Lioa site include in-house technologies such as AnoxKaldnes MBBR (moving bed bio reactor), which maximizes water reuse.

The Mai Liao complex is the largest in Taiwan with a refining capacity of 540,000 bpd and a yearly production of ethylene and propylene exceeding 2.9 and 2.3 million tons, respectively.

We remind that Formosa Plastics Corp. is considering building a factory to make 1.2 million tonnes of ethylene a year in the US state of Louisiana.

Formosa Petrochemical is involved primarily in the business of refining crude oil, selling refined petroleum products and producing and selling olefins (including ethylene, propylene, butadiene and BTX) from its naphtha cracking operations. Formosa Petrochemical is also the largest olefins producer in Taiwan and its olefins products are mostly sold to companies within the Formosa Group. Among the company's chemical products are paraxylene (PX), phenyl ethylene, acetone and pure terephthalic acid (PTA). The company's plastic products include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins, polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and panlite (PC).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Praxair is building a new steam methane reformer to increase the supply of hydrogen for its liquid hydrogen plant in Niagara Falls, New York, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This investment will not only retain 78 jobs, but also serve growing customer needs for hydrogen in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the US and southeastern Canada.

Empire State Development, the state’s economic development agency, will provide a USD1 million capital grant to assist the company with its facility and equipment investment.

"Praxair is making this investment in response to growing customer requirements and the development of new applications,” said Jeff Barnhard, vice president of Praxair’s industrial gases business in the US East region. "Additionally, this investment further diversifies our sources of hydrogen and results in distribution savings."

"Praxair helps companies improve their environmental performance by developing and embracing the technologies needed to make plants operate more cleanly and efficiently," added Empire State Development CEO Kenneth Adams. "We are proud to support Praxair as it expands its business and creates and retains jobs in New York State."

Liquid hydrogen is delivered by customized trucks to customers in a wide range of industries, including the manufacturing of metals, lubricants, glass, liquid fuels, solar technology, chemicals and food products.

When complete in 2015, Praxair’s Niagara Falls liquid hydrogen production capacity will increase by 50%.

We remind that Praxair bought Volga Azot industrial gas producer from Russia's largest petrochemical group SIBUR. The purchase of Volga Azot based in the Volgograd region in country's south is the fourth largest investment of Praxair in Russia. In the late 2012 Praxair announced the startup of its first large-scale air separation plant in Kaustik (Volgograd), an industrial region in southern Russia.

Praxair, Inc. (Praxair) is an industrial gases supplier. The company's products are oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, electronic gases and a range of specialty gases. Praxair Surface Technologies supplies coatings, which protect metal parts from wear, corrosion and heat. Praxair serves approximately 25 industries, including healthcare and petroleum refining; computer-chip manufacturing and beverage carbonation; fiber-optics and steel making, and aerospace, chemicals and water treatment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bashkir plant Polief (part of SIBUR), the only Russian producer of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and one of the largest Russian producers of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), increased losses in 2013 by 18% year on year, as per the company's report.

Thus, the company had a loss of Rb1.3 billion last year, while in 2012 this figure was Rb1.1 billion.

Polief's revenue decreased in 2013 by 9.3% year on year and totalled Rb10.9 billion, while the net cost fell by 12% to Rb9.9 billion.

The plant's sales profit amounted to Rb275 million last year, while in 2012 it was a loss of Rb17 million.

According to the report, Polief intends to complete the PET expansion project this year that will allow to additionally sell products for Rb386 million. At present, the project to increase PET production capacity at Polief from 140,000 tonnes to 210,000 tonnes is almost completed, the company is considering the dates of its commissioning.

In addition, the company plans to increase the plant's efficiency by reducing production costs in order to get additional Rb139 million, mainly due to the optimization of delivery schemes and an increase in revenues.

JSC "Polief" (Blagoveshchensk, Republic of Bashkortostan) is a polyester production complex, the only Russian manufacturer of purified terephthalic acid (PTA), one of Russia's largest producer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The Polief's controlling shareholder is SIBUR, the largest integrated gas processing and petrochemical company in Russia.
MRC