MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shell began restarting the second stage of the hydrocracker at its 230,611-bpd Norco, Louisiana, said sources familiar with plant operations, said Reuters.
A Shell spokesman did not reply to a request for comment. The second stage of the 40,000-bpd hydrocracker was shut on June 18. The first stage of the hydrocracker continued to operate, the sources said.
Shell issued a notice on Thursday to nearby residents in the Norco area of the start-up of an unidentified unit, which may cause flaring and greater noise at the refinery.
As per MRC, by the end of 2021, Royal Dutch Shell will have just one operating crude oil refinery in the United States: The 227,400-bpd refinery in Norco, Louisiana. Sources familiar with Shell’s plans say the company will likely hang on to the Norco refinery because of its role in supplying the company’s chemical plants. "Norco is integrated with them," one of the sources said of the refinery, 25 miles (40 km) west of New Orleans.
As MRC informed previously, in late May, 2021, Shell agreed to sell its controlling interest in a Texas refinery to partner Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) for about USD596 million. And in early May, Shell announced the sale of its 149,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Washington to Hollyfrontier Corp.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
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