Asahimas restarted VCM line in Indonesia

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Asahimas, a joint venture between Japan’s Asahi Glass Company and Indonesia’s Rodamas Group, has restarted one of two vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) lines following a partial maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Indonesia informed that the VCM line was shut on August 20, 2014. It restarted on September 15, 2014.

Located at Cilegon in Banten province, Indonesia, the VCM line which restarted has a capacity of 240,000 mt/year while the line which is operating has a capacity of 160,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, Asahimas Chemical plans to invest up to USD400 million to expand its petrochemical facility in Cilegon, Banten. The company started construction last year, according to Eddy Sutanto, a director of Asahimas Chemical.

This expansion will allow for the increased production of caustic soda to 700,000 tonnes a year from the current 500,000 tonnes a year and will increase production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to 600,000 tonnes from 280,000 tonnes.

"Construction will take at least two to two-and-a-half years. The factory is expected to start producing by the end of 2015," he added.

PT Asahimas Chemical operates integrated Chlor Alkali-Vinyl Chloride plants in Cilegon, Banten, Indonesia, and produces basic chemicals for many of downstream industries.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF, the world's petrochemical major, will expand the manufacturing plant for its LIX product range at its Cork site, Ireland, reported the company on its site.

An investment is underway with production scheduled by end of 1Q, 2015.

The LIX product range of Solvent Extractants is used for hydrometallurgical extraction of copper from oxide ores. BASF has a broad range of reagents and provides optimized solutions, particularly for mines experiencing difficult operating conditions.

"With the enlarged capacity, we are able to reliably supply to the steadily increasing demand for our LIX reagents. This is an example of our approach to offer our customers the best possible combination of high quality products and competent on-site service. We are expanding our capacity to support our customers in their growth and accompany them as a reliable supplier into the future, too" said Francois Desne, Senior Vice President, Global Business Unit Water, Oilfield and Mining Solutions.

Recently the Regional Business Management Mining Solutions has established new technical laboratories in Johannesburg, South Africa, Shanghai, China and Moscow, Russia to be closer to the customers and enhance technical service.

As MRC wrote previously, in September 2014, BASF announced a start-up of a new butadiene extraction plant at its Verbund site in Antwerp, Belgium. The plant has an annual production capacity of 155,000 metric tons.

The plant in Antwerp is BASF’s second butadiene extraction plant in Europe. BASF already operates a butadiene extraction plant at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, with an annual production capacity of 105,000 metric tons. With the plant in Antwerp, BASF is more than doubling its production capacity for butadiene in Europe.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. BASF had sales of about EUR74 billion in 2013 and over 112,000 employees as of the end of the year.
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MOSCOW (MRC) - DuPont will pay a USD1.85 million penalty to resolve allegations that the global chemical company did not properly disclose the risks of using one of its herbicides, leading to widespread damage to tree species through several U.S. states, said Reuters.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ordered DuPont to stop selling the herbicide, Imprelis, in August 2011 after the agency received more than 7,000 reports of tree damage or death tied to its use. Damage to trees, primarily Norway spruce and white pine, was reported throughout Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin and several other Midwest states.

DuPont, whose formal name is E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co, made about 320 shipments of Imprelis in 2010 and 2011 before the EPA ordered it to stop. The company marketed the herbicide for lawn and turf applications on residential and commercial lawns, golf courses, sod farms, schools, parks, and athletic fields. It was designed to control weeds such as dandelions, clover, thistle, plantains and ground ivy.

The EPA found DuPont failed to submit reports on the potential adverse effects of Imprelis, and sold it with labeling that did not ensure its safe use.

As MRC wrote before, last month DuPont agreed to pay a fine of USD1.275 million and spend an estimated USD2.3 million more to settle claims by U.S. officials that it failed to prevent toxic releases of hazardous substances in West Virginia.

DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802. DuPont developed many polymers such as Vespel, neoprene, nylon, Corian, Teflon, Mylar, Kevlar, Zemdrain, M5 fiber, Nomex, Tyvek, Sorona and Lycra. DuPont developed Freon (chlorofluorocarbons) for the refrigerant industry, and later more environmentally friendly refrigerants. It developed synthetic pigments and paints including ChromaFlair.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Thai energy company PTT has joined up with Saudi Aramco to submit a proposal to build a $22bn petrochemical and chemical complex in Vietnam, according to Arabisnindustry.

Aramco and PTT would each own 40% of the complex that will be built at Binh Dinh’s Nhon Hoi economic zone, Atikom Terbsiri, PTT senior executive vice president, said. The Vietnamese government will own the remaining 20%.

"Aramco will help supply crude to an oil refinery with capacity of 400,000 barrels per day," Atikom commented, adding that PTT-owned Thai Oil and IRPC will also join the project.

The Vietnamese's trade and industry ministry will consider the proposal, which will be discussed with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, who is due to visit Southeast Asian countries in the coming months, Terbsiri said.

The project includes an olefins and aromatic petrochemical plants with combined capacity of 5mn tonnes a year.

It is expected to take six to seven years before the complex is fully operational.

As MRC wrote before, Saudi Aramco announced that its downstream investments would exceed USD100 billion over the next decade, as global demand for oil rises by a quarter in the next 25 years.

Saudi Aramco, officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a Saudi Arabian national oil and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco's value has been estimated at up to USD10 trillion in the Financial Times, making it the world's most valuable company. Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves, at more than 260 billion barrels, and largest daily oil production.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mexican state oil company Pemex is investing almost USD5.5bn in upgrading its refineries, increasing pipeline capacity and modernising a fertiliser plant, said CEO Emilio Lozoya Austin.

He says that the investments will help Pemex to become a competitive leader in the oil and gas industry, as well as boosting growth in Mexico through investment in infrastructure. The investments come hot on the heels of the Mexican government’s decision in August to open up the country’s oil and gas sector to private companies for the first time.

Pemex has signed five contracts as part of a USD2.8bn project to upgrade five refineries in Madero, Minatitlan, Salamanca, Salina Cruz and Tula. The upgrades will reduce the sulphur content of the diesel they produce by 97%, producing ultra low sulphur diesel that meets international standards. By 2015, 60% of all Pemex diesel will be ultra-low sulphur, and by 2017, 100% of it will be. Lozoya says that this will lower Mexico’s greenhouse gas emissions by 12,000 t/y.

ICA Fluor Daniel has been awarded the contract for the Madero refinery, with Tecnicas Reunidas, Samsung, and Foster Wheeler contracted for the Minatitlan, Salamanca, and Salina Cruz upgrades respectively. ACS, Dragados and Cobra will jointly carry out the work on the Tula refinery.

Pemex is also investing USD2.5bn on building the second phase of the Los Ramones natural gas pipeline, which will eventually carry gas from US shale fields into the centre of Mexico. The second phase will increase the pipeline capacity by 40% and run for 741 km across the states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosi, Queretaro and Guanajuato.

Finally, USD200m will be spent on modernising the Agro Nitrogenados fertiliser plant in Coatzacoalcos, which it bought in December last year. Contracted to Cobra, the first phase of the revamp to install the first urea train is expected to take 15 months. The second train will follow five months later. The total output of the plant will be around 1m t/y of urea.

Pemex, Mexican Petroleum, is a Mexican state-owned petroleum company. Pemex has a total asset worth of USD415.75 billion, and is the world"s second largest non-publicly listed company by total market value, and Latin America"s second largest enterprise by annual revenue as of 2009. Company produces such polymers, as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene.
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