Kemira expands its water treatment chemicals production in the UK

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Global chemicals company Kemira announces the final completion of their production capacity expansion in the UK, as per the company's press release.

From November 15th, the annual production of ferric based water treatment chemicals in Goole will be increased by more than 100.000 tons annually.

Already in January 2021, Kemira increased product output of aluminum-based water treatment chemicals in Ellesmere Port by 30.000 tons.

“With the completion of the second investment phase Kemira has further strengthened its market position on the UK market. We are confident that this will also help to ease the immediate challenging supply situation of water chemicals into the UK water industry, says Craig Leishman, Senior Sales Manager UK, at Kemira.

Kemira produces in excess of 350,000 tons of water treatment chemicals annually in its four manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom: Ellesmere Port, Goole, Bradford and Teesport.

As MRC reported earlier, in September 2020, Kemira signed a multi year extension of its polymer supply agreement with Ithaca Energy. Kemira said it had signed a multiyear extension to its polymer supply agreement with Ithaca Energy (Aberdeen, UK). The agreement extends the contract between the two companies, signed in 2018, covering the supply of polymers to enhance oil extraction performance at one of the assets operated by Ithaca Energy in the UK North Sea.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

Kemira is a global leader in sustainable chemical solutions for water intensive industries. The company's focus is on pulp & paper, water treatment and oil & gas. In 2020, Kemira had annual revenue of around EUR2.4 billion and around 5,000 employees. Kemira shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Phillips 66 plans to begin repairs on a catalytic reformer and a hydrotreater next week at its storm-damaged, shut 255,600-bpd Alliance, Louisiana refinery, said people familiar with the company’s plans, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Repairs are set to begin in January on the 250,000-bpd crude distillation unit (CDU) and 120,000-bpd gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), the people said. Phillips 66 spokesperson Bernardo Fallas declined to comment on Wednesday.

In addition to the upcoming repair work on the 33,000-bpd reformer and 70,000-bpd diesel hydrotreater, repairs are underway to the heavily damaged electrical system so that most units can begin receiving power soon, the sources said. Phillips 66 shut Alliance on Aug. 28, one day before Hurricane Ida roared ashore causing heavy rain that flooded the area, leading to a flood wall to be breached at the refinery.

Repairs to the CDU and FCCU will include electrical and mechanical systems on the units, the sources said. Phillips 66 Chief Executive Greg Garland said on Monday the company continues to evaluate all options for the refinery including a sale or closure.

Motiva Enterprises, the U.S. downstream and marketing arm of Saudi Aramco, and U.S. refiner Valero Energy Corp have both looked at the refinery in recent weeks, the sources said. Valero is not likely to buy a new refinery to add to the 14 it operates, company Chief Executive Joe Gorder said on Oct. 21.

Saudi Aramco has been focused on expansion in petrochemicals in the United States in recent years, backing away from earlier plans to add U.S. refining capacity.

As per MRC, Phillips 66 and Phillips 66 Partners have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement for Phillips 66 to acquire all of the publicly held common units representing limited partner interests in the Partnership not already owned by Phillips 66 and its affiliates. The agreement, expected to close in the first quarter of 2022, provides for an all-stock transaction in which each outstanding PSXP common unitholder would receive 0.50 shares of PSX common stock for each PSXP common unit. The Partnership’s preferred units would be converted into common units at a premium to the original issuance price prior to exchange for Phillips 66 common stock.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

Phillips 66 is a diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company. With a portfolio of Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties businesses, the company processes, transports, stores and markets fuels and products globally. Phillips 66 Partners, the company’s master limited partnership, is integral to the portfolio. Headquartered in Houston, the company has 14,300 employees committed to safety and operating excellence. Phillips 66 had USD55 billion of assets as of Dec. 31, 2020.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The UAE's Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. and Taqa plan to jointly develop at least 30 GW of renewable energy by 2030 under the country's 2050 net zero strategy, reported S&P Global with reference to the companies' statements Nov. 17.

The efforts will focus on domestic and international renewables developments, waste-to-energy projects and green hydrogen production, though no specific initiatives were unveiled in the announcement.

"The partnership between ADNOC and TAQA envisages both parties entering into detailed joint venture arrangements as well as the completion of necessary transaction requirements, including obtaining relevant third-party and regulatory approvals," the companies said in the statement.

State-owned ADNOC pumps the vast majority of crude oil in the UAE, which is OPEC's third largest producer, while publicly-listed Taqa, also known as Abu Dhabi National Energy Co., is the emirate's state-run energy holding company.

"The landmark clean energy partnership brings ADNOC and TAQA's green hydrogen development projects together by combining TAQA's expertise in the development and optimization of renewable power, in particular low-cost solar power and ADNOC's ongoing efforts to create domestic and international hydrogen value chains," ADNOC said in the statement.

The UAE was the first Middle Eastern country to commit to a net-zero emissions target, with AED 600 billion (USD163 billion) in planned renewables investments.

ADNOC, which aims to decrease its greenhouse-gas emissions intensity by 25% by 2030, aims to use nuclear and solar energy to completely power its operations to bolster its claims of pumping some of the world's least carbon-intensive crudes. The UAE is targeting a 25% global market share of low-carbon hydrogen by 2030 with the launch of its "hydrogen leadership roadmap" at the UN Climate Change Conference.

ADNOC produces over 300,000 mt/year of blue hydrogen, and plans to increase this to 500,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed earlier, ADNOC) has just signed of a strategic partnership with Borealis AG that confirms a USD6.2 B (AED22 B) investment agreement between the companies to build the fourth Borouge facility - Borouge 4 - at the polyolefin manufacturing complex in Ruwais, United Arab Emirates (UAE), which will produce 1.4 MM tons of polyethylene (PE) per year. Expansion project includes construction of a 1.5 MM tons ethane cracker, two state-of-the-art Borstar PE plants and a cross-linked PE plant. Borouge 4 will meet growing customer demand across the Middle East, Africa and Asia with differentiated polyolefin solutions in energy, infrastructure, and advanced packaging.

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 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.
MRC

1. Global oil supply to rise to 1.5 mln b/d in November-December

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Nov. 16 signaled a likely easing of oil market tightness, forecasting world supply to rise by 1.5 million b/d in November-December on the back of a US output resurgence, and highlighting a recovery from refinery maintenance, reported S&P Global. In its latest monthly oil market report, the Paris-based IEA noted that high prices, driven partly by the policies of OPEC+ nations, were serving both to "temper" the recovery in oil demand and spur US shale output. The IEA nudged up its 2022 demand growth estimate by 100,000 b/d to 3.4 million b/d, saying demand was being supported by "robust gasoline consumption and increasing international travel," but added, "new COVID waves in Europe, weaker industrial activity and higher oil prices will temper gains."



MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production, or PTTEP, plans to bring home most of its equity crude barrels from its overseas upstream operations in 2022 rather than trading the oil, taking some pressure off domestic refinery feedstock procurement managers who constantly seek top-up barrels in the expensive spot market, reported S&P Global.

Major refiners across East Asia are scrambling to tie up as many term crude supply deals as possible for next year as they ramp up throughput levels and refinery run rates to serve rapid recovery in consumer and industrial fuel demand. The higher demand comes at a time when major OPEC producers are maintaining a cautious approach in raising crude supply, while prices extend uptrend.

In addition to term supply deals, Thailand is looking to make the most of its upstream investment portfolios, with PTTEP's subsidiaries PTTEP Oman E&P Corp. and PTTEP MENA set to provide state-run refiner PTT at least 5 million barrels of Oman crude for delivery over January-June 2022, PTT said in a statement.

Apart from the equity Oman barrels, PTTEP aims to supply domestic refineries its equity barrels from Algeria, Australia and the Americas, a marketing source at the state-run upstream company told S&P Global. The source declined to share information on the specific crude grades and volumes.

"PTTEP's equity barrels in Oman and other regions will allow local crude traders to take some breather as it's been rather troublesome and expensive to seek spot cargoes to cover short positions because of tight OPEC+ supply," a feedstock manager at PTT said.

PTTEP kicked off its Oman upstream operations in 2019 through the acquisition of Partex Corporation which later transformed into PTTEP Oman E&P Corporation and acquired two onshore producing petroleum blocks. The Petroleum Development Oman, or PDO, Block 6 project has a total oil production volume of around 610,000 b/d and Mukhaizna Block 53 project holds approximately 120,000 b/d. In February, PTTEP had acquired 20% in Block 61 through its subsidiary PTTEP MENA Limited which adds on condensate production volume around 65,000 b/d.

PTTEP's equity portion of the three projects equates to approximately 23,000 b/d of crude oil, according to PTT.

"The projects have allowed PTTEP further investment, create energy security, as well as generate revenue to the country," it said.

As MRC informed earlier, in October 2021, Thai chemical firm, PTT Global Chemical Pcl (PTTGC) said it plans to invest over USD22 bln in the next three decades to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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 1,868,160 tonnes in the first nine months of 2021, up by 18% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,138,510 tonnes in January-September 2021, up by 30% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.
MRC