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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petronas LNG , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Petronas, has awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract to JGC Corp. for the expansion of Petronas' liquefied natural gas (LNG) complex in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia, as per the company's press release.
The contract involves the EPCC work relating to the LNG storage and shipping facilities at the complex, specifically, construction of the piping and associated facilities connecting the existing six LNG storage tanks and the seventh new LNG storage tank with the shipping facilities.
Petronas' complex has eight production trains with a combined capacity of 25.7-million t/y. JGC is currently executing the EPCC work on the ninth train, which will add 3.6-million t/y of capacity and is scheduled for completion at the end of this year.
This project will be "important in helping Japan's energy security, as they currently rely on Malaysia for more than 15% of its total LNG imports," JGC noted.
The Petronas LNG Complex comprises three LNG plants owned and operated by Petronas’ joint venture companies - Malaysia LNG Sdn Bhd, MLNG Dua Sdn Bhd and MLNG Tiga Sdn Bhd.
JGC has been responsible for the construction of LNG plants worldwide accounting for about one third of the global LNG production capacity. Demand for expansion and renovation projects in live operating plants is expected to grow worldwide. In the field of such projects, even higher level of construction safety management is required as the key for successful project completion.
Petronas, short for Petroliam Nasional Berhad, is a Malaysian oil and gas company wholly owned by the Government of Malaysia. The Group is engaged in a wide spectrum of petroleum activities, including upstream exploration and production of oil and gas to downstream oil refining; marketing and distribution of petroleum products; trading; gas processing and liquefaction; gas transmission pipeline network operations; marketing of liquefied natural gas; petrochemical manufacturing and marketing; shipping; automotive engineering; and property investment.
MRC
Petronas awards JGC EPCC contract for LNG complex expansion project
PP imports to Ukraine decreased by 15% in 2014
December PP imports in the country rose to 10,800 tonnes following 8,500 tonnes in November. The main increase in PP imports occurred for supplies from Europe and Middle East. Total imports of PP in the country decreased to 113,400 tonnes in 2014, compared with 133,100 tonnes year on year. The largest drop in demand occurred for PP block copolymers because of the shutdown of some plants in the eastern regions of Ukraine. Structure of PP supplies over the reported period looked as follows.
December imports of homopolymer PP increased to 8,700 tonnes, compared to 6,700 tonnes in November on the growing supplies from Saudi Arabia. Ukraine's homopolymer PP imports were 88,500 tonnes in 2014, down 12% compared to 2013. The largest drop in demand occurred for the injection moulding sector - about 36% (15,100 tonnes) over the period, while the demand for raffia decreased by 5% to 52,900 tonnes.
December imports of block copolymers of propylene exceeded 1,000 tonnes, compared to 700 tonnes in November. Total imports of PP block copolymers in the country fell to 11,500 tonnes in 2014, compared with 16,000 tonnes year on year.
Demand for extrusion copolymers for pipe and sheets production reduced more than two times. for the production of pipes and sheets. Demand in the injection moulding sector decreased to 10,500 tonnes in 2014, down 25% year on year. The main suppliers were producers from Europe.
December imports of PP random copolymer in Ukraine declined to 840 tonnes, compared to 716 tonnes in November. Total imports of PP random copolymers in Ukraine were about 10,000 tonnes in 2014, compared with 11,900 tonnes year on year.
Demand from producers of PP pipes reduced by 34% in 2014 to 4,100 tonnes; demand in the injection moulding sector fell by 5% over the reported period to 3,800 tonnes. Total imports of other propylene copolymers over the reporting period were 3,400 tonnes, compared with 4,300 tonnes in the same time a year earlier.
MRC
European PVC producers are reluctant to reduce February prices
MOSCOW (MRC) -- Negotiations over prices of European polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for February shipments to the CIS markets began this week. The February ethylene price went down by EUR70/tonne, but local producers do not intend to proportionally reduce PVC prices, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.
The contract price of ethylene in Europe for February shipments was agreed by EUR70/tonne lower than in January, leading to a decrease of EUR35 per tonne in PVC production costs. However, many European producers do not intend to proportionally reduce export PVC prices, some producers even maintained January prices.
This week's negotiations on February shipments of suspension PVC (SPVC) to the CIS countries were in the range of EUR600-640/tonne FCA, while January deals were in the range of EUR610-660/tonne FCA.
Some market participants said that, despite lower prices and the weak euro, PVC prices of European producers were less attractive than prices of Russian material. Deals for February shipments of Russian PVC were negotiated last week in the range of Rb44,000-45,000/tonne FCA (USD645-670/tonne).
MRC
HDPE imports to Ukraine fell by 23% in 2014
MOSCOW (MRC) -- Last year's imports of high density polyethylene (HDPE) into Ukraine decreased by 23% and totalled 106,300 tonnes. Pipe grade polyethylene (PE) accounted for the greatest reduction in demand, according to MRC DataScope report.
December HDPE imports to Ukraine rose slightly compared with the November figure (11,100 tonnes) and totalled 11,800 tonnes. The overall HDPE imports to the Ukrainian market fell to 106,300 tonnes in 2014 versus 137,200 tonnes a year earlier. Due to a number of factors, including economic, demand subsided in all sectors of consumption, with PE pipes producers to account for the largest fall in demand - about 36%.
The PE supply structure looks the following way over the stated period.
December imports of film grade HDPE to the Ukrainian market grew to 6,200 tonnes from 4,900 tonnes in November because of increased shipments of the Middle East producers. The overall imports of this PE grade to the local market dropped by 17% to 44,700 tonnes. Producers from Europe and the Middle East accounted for the main bulk of imports.
December imports of pipe grade HDPE fell almost twice from November to 1,300 tonnes. Last year's pipe grade HDPE imports to Ukraine decreased to 18,800 tonnes versus 29,200 tonnes a year earlier.
Imports of blow moulding HDPE to Ukraine were 2,300 tonnes in the last month of 2014, which is slightly less than in November - 2,400 tonnes. The overall imports of this PE grade totalled 20,800 tonnes in 2014 versus 26,300 tonnes a year earlier.
December imports of injection moulding HDPE rose to 1,600 tonnes from 1,000 tonnes in November. Last year's imports of injection moulding HDPE to Ukraine dropped to 17,600 tonnes, down by 6% year on year.
The overall HDPE imports to the other sectors of consumption totalled 4,400 tonnes in 2014 versus 9,100 tonnes a year earlier.
MRC
Wacker opens new Health Center at its Burghausen Site
MOSCOW (MRC) -- The Munich-based Wacker Group has opened a new Health Center at its Burghausen site. Equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology, the Center will provide flexible health care to the site’s approximately 10,000 employees, as per the company's press release.
Wacker invested around EUR4 million in the new building.
Workplace health management is increasingly gaining in importance for German companies, including Wacker. The main reason for this is demographic change, which is aging the workforce and leading to longer working lives. "Our goal is to keep employees fit for work and, when they do fall ill, to reintegrate them quickly into working life upon recovery," said Dr. Jurgen Comme?mann, head of Health Services at Burghausen, who also coordinates health management programs throughout the Group.
Wakcer Executive Board member Auguste Willems sees the new building as an important investment for the future: "The well-being of the workforce is a very high priority at WACKER. With this new Health Center, we are underscoring how seriously we take our responsibility, as employers, for the health of our employees, especially against the backdrop of a longer working life."
As MRC wrote before, in 2013, Wacker Chemie AG officially launched its new production plant for ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA) dispersions at its Ulsan site in South Korea.
Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC