Oriental Energy starts up two UNIPOL PP lines in Ningbo

MOSCOW (MRC) -- W. R. Grace & Co., the leading independent supplier of polyolefin catalyst technology, polypropylene (PP) process technology, has announced the successful start-up of two 400 KTA UNIPOL PP process technology lines at Oriental Energy in Ningbo, China, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This brings the total UNIPOL PP operating capacity in China to more than 6.3 MM tpy in the last twelve years making homopolymer, random and impact copolymers to serve the growing market for high performance plastics in China. As of today, Grace expects another 2 MM tpy to come on stream in the next few years from UNIPOL PP process technology in China.

“The safe and successful start-up of the two UNIPOL PP lines at the Ningbo facility is an exciting moment for Oriental Energy. It comes at a critical time as the global economy bounces back from the pandemic and customer demand in the region rises. We are committed to our Chinese customers and look forward to supporting Oriental Energy for years to come to ensure their continued success,” said David Hartill, Vice President of Global Licensing and Services.

Mr. Wu, Yinlong, General Manager of Oriental Energy, remarked, “We appreciate the technical support that Grace provided during design, construction, and commissioning of these important PP assets. These lines are critical to our corporate vision and success in polyolefins, and we look forward to working with Grace to further optimize their performance.”

Oriental Energy currently has the largest UNIPOL PP process technology operating capacity in China, and there are plans to build additional PP lines at their sites in Ningbo and Maoming in the coming years. They anticipate producing several grades of homopolymers, random and impact copolymers with these newest lines to meet the expanding resin requirements of their customers in the region.

As MRC reported previously, earlier this month, W. R. Grace & Co. licensed its UNIPOL PP process technology to Oriental Energy for its Maoming, China, plant. This is Oriental Energy’s fifth PP line, and its fourth using Grace’s UNIPOL PP process technology with a production capacity of 400 KTA.

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.

Oriental Energy operates two subsidiaries, Oriental Energy-Ningbo and Oriental Energy-Zhangjiagang, each of which, in turn, operates a plant with a capacity of 400 ktpa PP and a propane dehydrogenation unit with a capacity of 600 ktpa. These companies were renamed in April 2017 as follows: Ningbo Fuji Petrochemical was renamed Oriental Energy-Ningbo and Zhangjiagang Yangzijiang Petrochemical was renamed Oriental Energy-Zhangjiagang.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - The Neo-Pak company (Novosibirsk) has installed another technological line for the production of polymer packaging, which consists of a three-layer extrusion blow molding line, a Soma Optima2 flexo printing machine, a Lamiflex laminator and a slitter rewinder, the Novosibirsk government said in a statement.

It is expected that the implementation of the project will increase the market share for flexible packaging in the Siberian Federal District, the Urals and neighboring countries (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, etc.), for packages - throughout the Russian Federation and the CIS, create additional jobs (46 units) and to increase the plant's capacity by 40%.

The Neo-pack company in October 2020 received the approval of a loan for 250 million rubles. within the framework of the Industrial Development Fund (IDF) "Development Projects" program. It was planned to double the production of flexible polymer packaging and bags, including for the distribution of goods from online stores.

The first stage of production with investments of 251.2 million rubles and a capacity of 6 thousand tons of flexible packaging per year was launched in the second quarter of 2019, reaching full capacity by 2026.

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.

The Neo-Pak company was founded in 2009 in Novosibirsk. Today, the production capacity of Neo-Pak is 18 thousand km of printing per month and 700 tonnes of film per month. The number of employees of the company is about 200 people, the occupied area is 12,000 m. Neo-Pak produces a wide range of flexible packaging materials for various industries (food, chemical, etc.), as well as custom, serial and courier packages. The company provides a full cycle of packaging manufacturing services: blowing films, prepress, printing and post-processing, quality control and delivery to the end consumer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom, said on Monday the government has cleared Rb30 B (USD409 MM) in loans from Sberbank and Gazprombank for a green project in oil refining, reported Reuters.

Gazprom Neft said both banks will provide Rb15 B each for the ecological modernization of its Omsk refinery in western Siberia as part of a state-sponsored green program.

The company embarked on the refinery modernization in 2008 and has managed to cut its environmental impact by 40%. It will be further reduced by 25% by 2025, Gazprom Neft said.

As MRC informed before, earlier this month, Lummus Technology announced it had been awarded a contract from the Gazprom Neft Moscow refinery for two fired heaters. The heaters will be installed at the refinery in Moscow, and are part of the plant’s modernization to improve operational efficiency and environmental performance.

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.

Gazprom Neft (headquartered in St. Petersburg, part of Gazprom, which owns 95.68% of its shares) is one of the largest Russian oil companies. In 2015, Gazprom Neft remained one of the leaders in the oil industry in terms of key performance indicators - the level of operating profit and return on invested capital. In 2015, Gazprom Neft produced 79.7 mln tonnes of hydrocarbons, increasing production by more than 20% compared to 2014 and thus achieving the highest production growth in the Russian oil industry.

Gazpromneft - Moscow Oil Refinery is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft. The plant's production capacity is 12.15 mln tonnes/year of hydrocarbons. The company produces motor gasolines, diesel, marine and aviation fuel, fuel oil, high-octane additives to motor gasoline, bitumen and gases for various purposes, as well as polypropylene (PP). And in 2010, Moscow Oil Refinery and SIBUR created a joint venture for PP production - NPP Neftekhimiya LLC.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Penoplex, the largest Russian producer of extruded polystyrene foam, is investing in expanding a site for the production of thermal insulation in Uzbekistan, the company said.

The launch of a new line for the production of thermal insulation from extruded polystyrene foam in the city of Angren, Tashkent region of Uzbekistan, will allow the company to increase its production capacity by 450,000 tonnes m3 of thermal insulation boards per year.

The additional line will not only provide an opportunity to expand the range of products within the region, but will also fully satisfy the growing demand for high-quality building materials in neighboring countries - Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The launch of the new line is scheduled for 2022.

In the summer of this year, Penoplex launched a plant for the production of thermal insulation from extruded polystyrene foam (XPS) in the Ungheni-Business economic zone of the city of Ungheni, Republic of Moldova.

According to MRC's ScanPlast, the estimated consumption of polystyrene and styrene plastics for ten months of this year amounted to 469.95 thousand tons, which is 15% higher than the same indicator a year earlier. In October, the total estimated consumption was 50.06 thousand tons, 4% more than the total consumption in October 2020.

Penoplex products are exported to more than 30 countries around the world. The company includes 13 production sites: ten in Russian cities, as well as three factories abroad. The sites are equipped with modern laboratories, where each batch of materials is tested. They are equipped with equipment from leading world manufacturers.
MRC

1. Crude oil prices show biggest weekly gain since August on easing concerns over Omicron coronavirus variant impact

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil prices rose slightly on Friday and posted their biggest weekly gain since late August, with market sentiment buoyed by easing concerns over the Omicron coronavirus variant's impact on global economic growth and fuel demand, reported Reuters. The Brent and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude benchmarks each posted gains of about 8% this week, their first weekly gain in seven, even after a brief bout of profit-taking. Brent futures settled up 73 cents, or 1%, at USD75.15 a barrel, after falling 1.9% on Thursday. WTI rose 73 cents, or 1%, to USD71.67 after sliding 2% in a volatile session the previous day.

MRC