MOSCOW (MRC) -- Lyondell Basell Industries plans to restart the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker (FCC) at its 263,776 barrel-per-day (bpd) Houston refinery by early next week, reported Reuters with reference to Gulf Coast market sources.
Repairs to the 90,000 bpd FCC were completed by Monday and Lyondell plans to begin the restart process within a day or two, the sources said. The FCC was shut by a Feb. 16 fire that led to the discovery of multiple large cracks in the unit’s reactor.
As MRC informed before, Lyondell Basell Industries said maintenance operations were staffed at its Houston refinery to assure safety and reliability. Gulf Coast market sources told Reuters hundreds of contractors were home in mid-March to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading in the 263,776 barrel-per-day refinery. Those contractors work for companies hired by Lyondell to perform maintenance on units in the refinery. Lyondell employee operations and maintenance staff continue to work in the refinery, the sources said.
Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 383,760 tonnes in the first two month of 2020, up by 14% year on year. High density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments increased due to the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 192,760 tonnes in January-February 2020, down by 6% year on year. Homopolymer PP accounted for the main decrease in imports.
LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its 13,000 employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, and improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road. LyondellBasell sells products into approximately 100 countries and is the world's largest licensor of polyolefin technologies.
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