Chandra Asia to announce FID for second petchem complex in Indonesia in 2022

Chandra Asia to announce FID for second petchem complex in Indonesia in 2022

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PT Chandra Asri Petrochemical (CAP), one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Indonesia, is in plans to announce its final investment decision (FID) for its second petrochemical complex in Indonesia (CAP2) in 2022, according to CommoPlast with reference to the company's official statement on its website.

CAP has already appointed four contractors to carry out the front-end engineering design (FEED) for its second petrochemical plant in Indonesia (CAP2). These contractors are Toyo Engineering Corporation, Samsung Engineering Co., Ltd., Wood, and PT Haskoning Indonesia.

Once completed, the company would enter the second stage of the project by selecting engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors.

Chandra Asri has been planning to build the second petchem complex since 2018 to meet the growing domestic demand, reducing the country’s need to rely on the import market.

The initial plan is for CAP2 to construct a cracker with an annual output of 1.1 million tons/year of ethylene, 600,000 tons/year of propylene, 175,000 tons/year of butadiene, and 363,000 tons of benzene. The downstream units include an high deiisty polyethylene (HDPE) line with an annual output of 450,000 tons/year, a 300,000 tons/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) line, and a 450,000 tons/year of polypropylene (PP).

As MRC reported earlier, in H1 July, 2020, CAP, one of the largest petrochemical producers in Indonesia, received commercial products at its linear low denisty polyethylene (LLDPE)/high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in Cilegon (Indonesia) and started ramping up its capacity utilisation. On May 22, the company was forced to reduce the capacity utilisation at this plant with a capacity of 400,000 mt/year of LLDPE/HDPE due to various technical issues.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,047,100 tonnes in the first ten months of 2021, up by 17% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,226,530 tonnes in January-October 2021, up by 26% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding stat-copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

Thailand's Siam Cement Group (30%) and Indonesian PT Barito Pacific and (64.87%) are the main owners of Chandra Asri.
MRC

Woodside plans to supply LNG to Viva Energy's Geelong refinery

Woodside plans to supply LNG to Viva Energy's Geelong refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Australia's Woodside Petroleum is in discussions for supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to an LNG import terminal that Viva Energy plans to build in Victoria state, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Viva and Woodside have agreed on a framework and timeline to negotiate capacity rights for Woodside, the country's biggest independent oil and gas company, to regasify LNG for sale into Australia's east coast market, which is expected to face a gas supply shortfall from the mid-2020s.

The deal potentially gives Viva's terminal a leg up over a rival project in New South Wales, the Port Kembla LNG import terminal which is backed by Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest. The Port Kembla terminal is yet to line up LNG supply sources.

Viva Energy said it plans to make a final investment decision on the project by the third quarter of fiscal 2022. "Working to secure regasification capacity at Viva Energy's proposed import terminal aligns with Woodside's future production profile and the ongoing needs of east coast Australian customers," Woodside Chief Executive Officer Meg O'Neill said.

Viva Energy said it also signed an agreement with Norway-based Hoegh LNG Ltd to charter a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) for the proposed Geelong terminal.

As per MRC, BHP Group has agreed to sell its petroleum business to Woodside Petroleum in a merger to create a top 10 independent oil and gas producer worth AD38.5 billion (USD28 billion) with growth assets in Australia and the Americas.

As per MRC, BP acquired US shale assets from BHP Billiton for USD10.5 billion in the largest deal since the 1999 acquisition of Atlantic Richfield oil company. British oil and gas company BP bought US shale assets owned by mining company BHP Billiton.

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

DCM Shriram selects Topsoe ClearView solution for digitalizing its ammonia facility in India

DCM Shriram selects Topsoe ClearView solution for digitalizing its ammonia facility in India

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shriram Fertilizers & Chemicals (SFC), a unit of DCM Shriram Ltd. and the third largest chlor-alkali producer in India, will use Topsoe’s ClearView solution for digitalizing its ammonia plant, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The digital platform will expectedly be operational by early 2022.

“We are proud that DCM Shriram Ltd’s has chosen our ClearView solution for this innovative project to digitalize its ammonia plant operations at the Kota complex. ClearView monitors the plant digitally in near real-time and generates a new level of detailed insights that enables our customers like SFC to optimize plant performance on a continuous basis,” said Alok Verma, Managing Director, Haldor Topsoe Southern Asia.

DCM Shriram’s ammonia plant at Kota is the first ammonia plant in India completely based on Topsoe technology. For almost half a century, the plant has kept itself at the cutting edge of ammonia technology via successful adoption of technological advancements and practices to improve on-stream days, energy efficiency, and low carbon feedstock changeover from Naphtha to natural gas. Digitalization via ClearView is the next step in that pioneering journey.

As MRC reported earlier, in June 2016, DCM Shriram notified the Bombay Stock Exchange that it expected to complete a chlor-alkali capacity expansion at its facilities in Bharuch and Kota, India, by September or October that year. At Bharuch, chlor-alkali capacity was increased by 499 t/d to a total of 949 t/d. DCM Shriram had already commissioned 420 t/d of the new chlor-alkali capacity on 14 June 2016. Chlor-alkali capacity at Kota was raised by 6 t/d to a total of 336 t/d. The company is also expanding the power plant at both locations. Total investment for the projects was Rs 607.20 crore. "The brownfield expansion and technology upgradation will strengthen our competitiveness and industry position," the company said then.

We remind that Russia's June production of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) was 103,000 tonnes (100% of the main substance) versus 105,000 tonnes a month earlier. The overall output of caustic soda in Russia totalled 642,500 tonnes in the first half of 2021, down by 1.2% year on year.
MRC

Air Liquide and FPS to supply carbon-free hydrogen to multi-modal hydrogen storage suited for inland barges

Air Liquide and FPS to supply carbon-free hydrogen to multi-modal hydrogen storage suited for inland barges

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Air Liquide and Future Proof Shipping (FPS), a provider of zero-emission shipping solutions, have signed a long-term contract for the supply of carbon-free hydrogen to FPS’ inland barge, the Maas, which transports containers between the Netherlands and Belgium, as per Air Liquide's press release.

As part of the agreement, Air Liquide will supply carbon-free hydrogen through specially designed multi-modal hydrogen storage suited for inland barges. The overall solution enables the avoidance of CO2 emissions by nearly 2,000 tonnes/year for the first concerned ship.

The project is a milestone on the path to the decarbonisation of inland waterways. It enables the substitution of conventional fuel used in the shipping industry by hydrogen, thus reducing the sector’s environmental footprint. The solution can be easily replicated to other ships, trains and other applications.

Air Liquide and FPS also partners in the RH2INE Programme (Rhine Hydrogen Integration Network of Excellence), which aims to decarbonise inland shipping on the Rhine river and is endorsed by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management.

Diederick Luijten, Vice President Hydrogen Energy Northern Europe & CIS countries for Air Liquide, said: “We are excited to develop this innovative solution together with Future Proof Shipping by leveraging our hydrogen expertise to contribute to the decarbonisation of the maritime sector. This project will help lower the environmental footprint of inland transport on waterways, a sector that represents 3.4% of the CO2 emissions in the Netherlands.”

As MRC reported earlier, Air Liquide and BASF plan to develop world largest cross-border CCS value chain. The goal is to significantly reduce CO2 emissions at the industrial cluster in the port of Antwerp. The joint project Kairos@C has been selected for funding by the European Commission through its Innovation Fund, as one of the seven large-scale projects out of more than 300 applications.

We remind that BASF aims is to electrify its production processes for basic chemicals, which are currently based on fossil fuels.

We also remind that in mid-February, BASF said it was restarting one of its steam crackers at its Ludwigshafen complex in Germany after operations were halted earlier that month due to a technical issue. The naphtha cracker produces ethylene and propylene, and is one of two crackers on the site. One has a production capacity of 420,000 metric tons/year, with the other"s capacity at 240,000 metric tons/year.

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 2,047,100 tonnes in the first ten months of 2021, up by 17% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,226,530 tonnes in January-October 2021, up by 26% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding stat-copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

Air Liquide in Benelux comprises subsidiaries active in the production, distribution, and sale of industrial and medical gases, technologies and services of the Air Liquide Group. Founded in Belgium in 1906, in the Netherlands in 1913 and in Luxembourg in 1931, Air Liquide currently operates 28 industrial sites throughout the Benelux. The Group currently employs more than 1,200 people in this region, all activities taken together, and it supplies more than 65,000 customers and patients. The Air Liquide Benelux Large Industries business line operates a pipeline network stretching 2,290 kilometers, which supplies the industrial basins from Mons to Rotterdam.
MRC

GAIL to start up first PDH and PP plants in India by 2024

MOSCOW (MRC) -- GAIL (India) Ltd, India’s principal gas transmission and marketing company under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, is on track to start up its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility and polypropylene (PP) plant in Usar, Maharashtra by 2024, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

GAIL has recently chosen Lummus Technology’s CATOFIN process and Clariant’s tailor-made catalysts for India’s first PDH plant. Its upcoming 500 kiloton per annum PDH facility in Usar will be integrated with the downstream PP unit. The cost of PDH-PP project is estimated at USD1.2 B.

Since 2017, CATOFIN Technology has now been selected for a majority of new PDH awards globally, representing 32 new PDH plants, or more than 22 MM metric tons of propylene annually.

Stefan Heuser, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Clariant Catalysts, stated, “We are extremely proud of the ever-increasing global demand for CATOFIN - and we couldn’t have achieved this without our long-time partner, Lummus Technology. Thanks to our collaboration, we are able to offer GAIL (India) Ltd excellent performance and profitability by combining the best of PDH expertise with catalyst innovation.”

As MRC reported earlier, in September 2021, W. R. Grace & Co., the leading independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology and PP process technology, licensed its UNIPOL PP process technology to GAIL. This is GAIL’s second UNIPOL PP process technology license, continuing to show the confidence in Grace to deliver value even through the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,226,530 tonnes in the first ten months of 2021, up by 26% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding stat-copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) decreased significantly.

GAIL India Ltd is the country’s largest natural gas company, and one of seven Maharatna Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Government of India. Founded in 1984, the Delhi-based company operates in India and abroad in various segments such as transmission services, natural gas, petrochemicals, liquefied petroleum gas and other liquid hydrocarbons.
MRC