Poliom resumed PP production

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Poliom, Russia's third largest polypropylene (PP) producer, resumed production after a scheduled outage for maintenance, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Yesterday, on 1 September, Poliom (part of Titan Group) resumed its PP production after a nearly three-week shutdown for maintenance works. The company's customers said the first commercial PP shipments already started on Tuesday. The plant was shut down for a turnaround on 11 August.

LLC "Poliom" was founded on 14 May, 2005 for the construction of the polypropylene (PP) plant within the petrochemical cluster project "PARK: regional agro-industrial clusters." The plant was built on Basell technology, the supplier of technological equipment was Tecnimont. The opening ceremony was held on 25 April 2013. The product range consists of 100 PP grades (homopolymer PP, statistical and block copolymers). In April 2014, the production capacity of Omsk PP Plant reached 210,000 tonnes of polypropylene per year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Iran’s petrochemical exports are still hampered by western sanctions even as an embargo on sales of the products are suspended during negotiations with global powers to limit the country’s nuclear program, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing with reference to an official's statement.

Transferring payments for sales and securing insurance for exports remain the biggest hindrances for petrochemical producers, said Mohammad-Hasan Peyvandi, vice president of Iran’s National Petrochemical Company. He spoke in an interview at his Tehran office.

"There are problems with exporting petrochemicals, but they relate to issues surrounding insurance," Peyvandi said. "It has gotten better. In the past three to four months, we’ve had between 4-to-6% increases in production and exports."

Chemical output rose from the 40.6 million tons and exports from the 13 million tons achieved in the Iranian calendar year through March 2014 due to better industry management, economic conditions and lower inflation, he said.

Foreign investment in Iran’s chemical and energy industry is restricted by western sanctions designed to dissuade the Islamic republic from pursuing a nuclear program the US and its allies say may lead to atomic-weapons technology. Iran, which says its nuclear plans are peaceful, and six global powers have given themselves until Nov. 24 to agree on limits to the nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions.

Under the agreement governing the talks, insurers can underwrite ships transporting Iranian goods and European and US companies can again purchase Iranian petrochemicals. The short window for sanctions relief -- initially meant to last only six months before last month being extended another four to November - has made it harder to benefit from eased restrictions on chemical sales and banking, Peyvandi said.

Iran’s planned USD20 billion petrochemical hub at Chabahar on its southeast coast may be open to foreign investment once restrictions are lifted, Peyvandi said. The port has direct access to the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean and sits at the end of a natural gas pipeline to Pakistan, across the border.

The country is investing to tap global markets and could triple petrochemical production capacity to 180 million metric tons, Deputy Oil Minister and National Petrochemical President Abbas Sheri-Moqaddam said in an interview June 7. Output at that level could bring in revenue of at least $90 billion, he said, without specifying a time frame for the expansion.

As MRC informed previously, in early 2013, Iran opened a new petrochemical plant in the western province of Kermanshah. The Kermanshah Polymer Petrochemical Plant has an annual production capacity of 300,000t of heavy polyethylene. It will employ nearly 1,500 people and is also expected to market nearly USD429mln petrochemical products annually.

Earlier, in late 2012, Iran had also launched two other petrochemical projects, which include Kavian Petrochemical Complex and the West Ethylene Pipeline in Assaluyeh, both located in the onshore installations of the South Pars Gas Field, Persian Gulf. Kavian Petrochemical Complex, with a capacity of 2.18 million tonnes per annum for petrochemical production, is the main source of ethylene for the West Ethylene Pipeline.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thailand's PTT Global Chemical's wholly-owned unit bought an additional 34% stake in French chemical maker Vencorex from Perstorp Holding AB , raising its stake to 85%, as per Plastemart.

The increase will enhance PTTGC's strategy in the downstream polyurethane business as Thailand's largest petrochemical firm aims to focus on value-added products to serve growing demand in Asia, the Thai company said in statement.

As MRC wrote before, PTT Global Chemical awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to SK Engineering and Construction and PTT Maintenance and Engineering for a debottlenecking project that will increase aromatics capacity by 16% to about 1.2-million t/y at its Aromatics II complex in Rayong, Thailand.

Vencorex is an owner of technology and a major producer of isocyanates in Europe, especially in toluene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and HDI derivatives, which are major feedstocks in making polyurethane, which is used for making foams and coatings in the automobile and construction sectors.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year. PTTGC is 49% owned by state-controlled parent PTT Pcl, and uses ethane and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the gas plant as feedstock for its I4-2 olefins plant.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay P&I will temporarily shut down its Adipic Acid and KA-oil (Olone) production on the Chalampe site (France) for maintenance, said the producer in its press release.

For six weeks in September and October, manufacturing will be completely stopped to allow the complete checking of
equipment integrity. This shutdown will also be an opportunity to bring about some improvements to production, decrease energy consumption and emissions, and improve the site’s environmental footprint. Solvay P&I is regularly investing in the sustainability of its production processes.

A substantial program of energy efficiency and heat recovery has recently been implanted in Chalampe (IRENE project). This program has now reached –even overtaken- its objectives. No consequences are expected for our regular customers.

"We will respect our commitments. Our contracted customers will be delivered as usual" says Regis Marceron, Commercial Director Europe for Solvay P&I.

The Chalampe site is the biggest European site for the production of KA-oil, (Olone), Adipic Acid, commercialized by Solvay under the brand name Rhodiacid, intermediates which are mainly used for the production of Polyamide resin.


As MRC wrote before, Solvay Polyamide & Intermediates announced the extension of its Stabamid portfolio. Two new families of superior quality polyamide resins are joining the Stabamid Original range.

Solvay Polyamide & Intermediates is one of the principal producers of polyamide and its intermediates, including HMD, Adipic Acid and Nylon salts. With the strength of 8 industrial plants, 3 research and development centres and numerous sales points across the globe, P&I is a trustworthy partner to its international customers.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Arkema, a France-based chemical manufacturer and the world’s second leading producer of organic peroxides, increases its prices of all grades of hydrogen peroxide in Europe by up to 10% effective on 15 September, 2014 or as commitments allow, as per the company's press release.

Arkema markets hydrogen peroxide under the brands Albone, Peroxal and Valsterane. Hydrogen peroxide is used in many markets segments such as chemical synthesis, pulp and textile bleaching, aseptic packaging, cleaning, waste water treatment and cosmetics & hygiene.

As MRC reproted previously, in early 2014, Arkema announced the construction of a new organic peroxide plant on its Changshu site in China. This investment will help double the site’s production capacity. By doubling its production capacity in China, Arkema will continue to support the strong growth in the organic peroxide market in Asia, a region in which the group is also a producer in India, South Korea and Japan. The new Changshu plant is due to come on stream in early 2016.

Arkema with annual revenue of EUR6.4 billion is a leading European supplier of chlorochemicals and PVC. Kynar and Kynar Flex are registered trademarks of Arkema Inc. Arkema operates 11 organic peroxide plants on the three continents.
MRC