Mitsui JV with Sinopec starts EPT plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Mitsui Chemicals, a leading Japanese producer of performance materials, petro and basic chemicals and functional polymeric materials, has announced that its Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Elastomers Co. joint venture with Sinopec has launched commercial production of ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPT), as per Apic-online.

In 2012, the two companies created the equally-owned joint venture to build a 75,000-t/y EPT plant using metallocene catalyst technology in China's Shanghai Chemical Industry Park. Operations were scheduled to begin during the first quarter of this year.

A separate joint venture of Mitsui and Sinopec, Shanghai Sinopec Mitsui Chemicals Co., is expected to begin production of phenol and acetone in December. The plant is designed to produce 250,000 t/y of phenol and 150,000 t/y of acetone.

Mitsui earlier said it planned to use production from this plant to supply its Tafmer alpha-olefin copolymer production in Jurong Island, Singapore.

In addition, Mitsui disclosed that its 60,000-t/y linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant in Chiba, Japan, is tentatively scheduled to close in December 2014.

As MRC informed before, last yeat, as part of a fundamental company's strategy Mitsui Chemicals and Prime Polymer, dedicated Japanese maker of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), intensified an ongoing collaboration by increasing polypropylene (PP) production in the United States to meet growing demands of the automotive materials sector.

Mitsui Chemicals is a leading manufacturer and supplier of value added specialty chemicals, plastics and materials for the automotive, healthcare, packaging, agricultural, building, and semiconductor and electronics markets. Mitsui Chemicals is a Japanese Chemicals company, a part of the Mitsui conglomerate. The company has a turnover of around 15 billion USD and has business interests in Japan, Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the USA. The company mainly deals in performance materials, petro and basic chemicals and functional polymeric materials.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huntsman Corporation inaugurated its new India corporate office, in Andheri, Mumbai, said the company in its press release.

The 220,000 square feet, seven story building will initially house some 300 Huntsman associates, including over 100 technical staff spread across three floors of state-of-the-art laboratory and research facilities.

Commenting on the importance of the new headquarters to Huntsman's ambitions in the Indian subcontinent, Peter R. Huntsman said "This opening is an important milestone in our continued growth and commitment to the Indian market. Our family and employees have been building a business in the Indian subcontinent for over 25 years and today enjoy a strong, profitable and growing organization in excess of USD500 million. Our continued success will depend on the quality and creativity of our local associates and this site will enable better technical, customer service, and development opportunities going forward. Many of our products and innovations are unique to the subcontinent's needs. We look forward to seeing continued growth as this market expands."

Paul Hulme, Huntsman Senior Corporate Officer for the region, said "We are looking forward to welcoming customers, suppliers and other business partners to the new premises. I am confident that the investment we have made in facilities and people will stand us in good stead for many years as we continue to develop strong strategic partnerships with our customers and continue to grow our business across all five of Huntsman's business divisions."

Huntsman has sales of approximately USD500 million in the subcontinent, and has more than 1,000 associates based in the region. It has manufacturing facilities in Baroda and Ankleshwar in Gujarat, manufacturing textile chemicals and dyes and surfactants, and in Pune, manufacturing polyurethane systems.

As MRC wrote before, Huntsman has commenced preliminary engineering to expand production of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) by investment in a new, world-scale MDI plant at its complex in Geismar, Louisiana.
The new capacity is expected to come on-stream in 2018 and will enable Huntsman to further support the global growth of its customers.

Huntsman is a global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated chemicals. Our operating companies manufacture products for a variety of global industries, including chemicals, plastics, automotive, aviation, textiles, footwear, paints and coatings, construction, technology, agriculture, health care, detergent, personal care, furniture, appliances and packaging.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Formosa Chemicals & Fibre Corporation (FCFC) is likely to start a new phenol-acetone plant in China, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant is planned to be started in end December 2014 or early January 2015.

Located in Ningbo, China, the plant has a phenol capacity of 300,000 mt/year and acetone capacity of 180,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, on 9 September 2014, Formosa Plastics Corp shut down its polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in China for a one-month maintenance turnaround. Located at Ningbo in Zhejiang province of China, the plant has a production capacity of 400,000 mt/year.

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) -- China’s coal-based polyolefins capacity is expected to hit 5.96 mln tons by the end of the year, a sharp surge from 2.16 mln tpa in 2013, said Plastemart.

This will account for about a fifth of total 30.2 mln ton polymer production in the country. China’s abundant coal resources provides it with the advantage of boosting polyolefins capacity via a cheaper coal-based technology, compared with the usual route derived from the more expensive naphtha. Because of lower production cost, coal-based linear low density PE (LLDPE) are priced lower by CNY 100-200/ton compared with normal LLDPE. Coal-based polyolefins are only marketed domestically in China.

In end-October, 300,000 tpa of new polyethylene (PE) capacity would be added by Ningxia Baofeng, while Pucheng Clean Energy Chemical will add a similar PE capacity and a 400,000 tpa polypropylene (PP) capacity in mid-November. In Shandong province in northern China, Shenda Chemical plans to start up its 200,000 tpa PP unit via a methanol-to-olefins (MTO) technology next month, as per a company source.

As MRC wrote before, China has ended its anti-dumping duties on styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR) imports from Russia, Japan, and South Korea, effective Monday, September 8, the Ministry of Commerce said. In 2009, China extended its 4-38% anti-dumping duties on SBR imported from the countries by five years.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Borealis, a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers, recorded a net profit of EUR 185 million in the third quarter of 2014, compared to EUR 131 million in the same quarter of 2013, said the company in its press release.

The improved result is a reflection of stronger margins for the polyolefins and olefins businesses, as well as the start-up of the Borouge 3 project. Borouge, Borealis' joint venture in Abu Dhabi, started up its third cracker in June and, as a result, had an improved result in the third quarter of 2014 compared to the third quarter of 2013.

Net debt increased by EUR 114 million in the third quarter of 2014 largely due to an increase in working capital needs driven by a stock build-up ahead of the site turnaround in Burghausen, Germany. Borealis' financial position remains strong with financial gearing of 47% at the end of the third quarter.

Borouge 3's newest world scale ethane cracker is running efficiently, the rest of the plants are scheduled to start-up sequentially. With Borouge 3 operational, Borouge's total annual production will increase to 4.5 million tonnes of polyolefins, making Borouge the biggest integrated polyolefins complex in the world. Borouge also commissioned the Borouge 3 Container Terminal in Ruwais, with the additional equipment the yard's total capacity of 16,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for Borouge will be able to handle an annual throughput of up to 1 million TEUs. The Borouge 3 plant expansion in Abu Dhabi will be fully operational in 2014. Borouge 3 will deliver an additional 2.5 million tonnes of capacity when fully ramped up, bringing the total Borouge capacity to 4.5 million tonnes. Borealis and Borouge will then have approximately 8 million tonnes of polyolefin capacity.

In August, Borealis announced the signing of a 10-year agreement with US-listed Antero Resources to supply, on an annual basis, 240,000 tonnes of ethane from the United States for its flexible steam cracker in Stenungsund, Sweden.

In September, Borealis completed the acquisition of DuPont Holding Netherland B.V. shares of Speciality Polymers Antwerp N.V, located in Zwijndrecht (Antwerp, Belgium). Previously, the company was a joint venture between DuPont Holding Netherlands B.V. (67%), Borealis Polymers N.V. and Borealis Kallo N.V. (together 33%). Speciality Polymers Antwerp N.V primarily manufactures ethylene acrylates copolymers and ethylene vinyl acetate.

In October, Borealis announced plant restructuring measures aimed at optimising production in Brazil. The company has strengthened its market position in Brazil by way of a EUR 45 million investment in its Itatiba production facilities located near Sao Paulo. Borealis will be able to better capitalise on long-term growth opportunities in Brazil and the South American market by transferring production from its second plant in Triunfo to the newly upgraded and expanded plant in Itatiba, a move scheduled for early 2015.

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. It generated EUR 8.1 billion in sales revenue in 2013. The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi owns 64% of the company, with the remaining 36% owned by OMV, the leading energy group in the European growth belt. Borealis provides services and products to customers around the world in collaboration with Borouge, a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).


MRC