Petrobras elects Jose Mauro Coelho as CEO

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The board of directors of Petrobras elected Jose Mauro Coelho for a one-year term as CEO, said Reuters.

Coelho will replace Joaquim Silva e Luna. An engineer, Coelho worked from 2007-2020 at the Energy Research Co (EPE), a business formed by the government to provide it with energy statistics. Since 2020, he served as the chairman of the board of the Brazilian Business for the Administration of Oil and Natural Gas (PPSA). The move comes right after the company voted Coelho onto its board, paving the way for the government technocrat to take the helm of the firm, as under Petrobras' statutes the chief executive must be on the board to get elected.

Petrobras is also Brazil's largest refiner.

As MRC informed before, in early February, 2022, Brazil’s state-owned oil company Petrobras and Novonor (formerly Odebrecht) cancelled in “mutual agreement” its plans to sell its stake in Braskem. The announcement came after both companies declared that potential buyers did not meet expectations, without providing any further details on the matter.

We remind that Braskem is no longer pursuing a petrochemical project, which would have included an ethane cracker, in West Virginia. And the company is seeking to sell the land that would have housed the cracker. The project, announced in 2013, had been on Braskem's back burner for several years.

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 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras is an integrated energy firm. Petrobras' activities include exploration, exploitation and production of oil from reservoir wells, shale and other rocks as well as refining, processing, trade and transport of oil and oil products, natural gas and other fluid hydrocarbons, in addition to other energy-related activities.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- TotalEnergies and ENEOS hasve announced a collaboration to jointly conduct a feasibility study to assess the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in ENEOS' Negishi refinery in Yokohama city, Japan, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The companies have already started to conduct the study for feedstock procurement and production of SAF related to this project. The proposed unit, which capacity would be 300,000 tpy of SAF, would process waste or residue sourced notably from the circular economy, mainly used cooking oil and animal fat. The two companies are considering establishing a new JV to produce SAF.

This collaboration would leverage the companies’ respective areas of excellence and expertise for the development of the sustainable supply chain of SAF in Japan around 2025:

TotalEnergies’ experience in feedstock procurement and SAF production technology.

ENEOS’s available production and loading/unloading facilities of the Negishi refinery, which is located in the largest aviation fuel demand area in Japan (Narita and Haneda airports) and marketing network of aviation fuel in Japan.

Responding to the significant challenge of global climate change, the two energy companies have been working to reduce GHG emissions on a global scale together with their customers, paving the way for a decarbonized, recycling-oriented society.

As MRC informed before, in late February, 2022, TotalEnergies condemned what it called Moscow's military aggression in Ukraine but stopped short of joining rivals Shell and BP in planning to exit positions in resource-rich Russia. The French oil major, which holds a 19.4% stake in Novatek, Russia's largest producer of liquefied natural gas, said it "will no longer provide capital for new projects in Russia".

We remind that Total Petrochemicals and Refining USA, the US petrochemical major and part of TotalEnergies, restarted all of its three polypropylene (PP) units in La Porte as of 17 June 2021. At the same time, the force majeure (FM) at this plant with an annual capacity of 1.15 million tons/year remains in place as the company attempts to stabilize operating rates and build inventories ahead of the hurricane season. Previously, Total Petrochemical declared FM on its PP output after an abrupt loss of electricity supply during a severe weather condition on 18 May, 2021.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes in 2021, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Total is a major energy player, which produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.
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MOSOCW (MRC) -- SOCAR’s Heydar Aliyev oil refinery is undergoing modernization and reconstruction process to increase the refining capacity, provide the country with high-quality Euro-5 fuel, minimize environmental impact, ensure Azerikimya’s stable feedstock supply and raise export capacity of oil products, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

As part of the project, the refinery implements operational excellence and sustainability program to determine its performance for 2022 in accordance with the maintenance while developing the comprehensive action plan.

As a result, from April 4, 2022, the refinery was shut down for maintenance. The overhaul of the refinery in 2022 is carried out after a long (more than a year) break and is completely different from previous maintenance work for its scales and complexity. More than 2,000 workers from SOCAR and outside organizations will be involved in the maintenance work.

SOCAR has taken necessary measures in order to ensure uninterrupted supply of the country with relevant motor fuels during this period. Thus, some facilities of the former Azerneftyag oil refinery, which is part of the Heydar Aliyev oil refinery now, will continue to operate and produce a certain amount of kerosene, diesel and gasoline.

In addition, the refinery will meet the country's demand in diesel and kerosene fuels due to the reserves formed at the refinery. The formation of the relevant fuel reserves started in February and is still ongoing. In this regard, the refinery will be able to meet domestic demand fully during the maintenance work.

Earlier it was reported that in April 2021, SOCAR Polymer introduced two new grades of polypropylene block copolymer, the first in the company's portfolio that use Milliken Chemical's Hyperform HPN additive for polypropylene (PP). Over the past year, the two companies have been jointly developing these materials. SOCAR, located in Azerbaijan, offers them to customers in Russia, Turkey and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

SOCAR Polymer was established in 2013 and operates two polymer production facilities with all the necessary infrastructure: a polypropylene production workshop with a capacity of 184,000 tons per year using Spheripol technology (LyondellBasell license) and a HDPE production workshop with a design capacity of 120,000 tons per year using technology Innovene S (INEOS license). After the first export of products in October 2018, SOCAR Polymer continues to expand the geography of its sales, supplying goods to the markets of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Uzbekistan, China, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Austria and Romania.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell has agreed to sell its Australian polymer business, LyondellBasell Australia (LBA), to Viva Energy, said Chemengonline.

BA’s operations include polymer manufacturing and distribution at Viva’s Geelong refinery near Melbourne.

LBA's Geelong plant is Australia’s only producer of polypropylene (PP). The refinery provides the propylene feedstock for PP.

“This acquisition is another step in the development of our Geelong Energy Hub and the further diversification of our commercial and industrial businesses,” Scott Wyatt, CEO of Viva Energy, said in announcing the deal this week.

The deal's financial terms or the expected completion timeline were not disclosed.

As MRC wrote earlier, in July, 2021, Neste and LyondellBasell announced a long-term commercial agreement under which LyondellBasell will source Neste RE, a feedstock from Neste that has been produced from 100% renewable feedstock from bio-based sources, such as waste and residue oils and fats. This feedstock will be processed through the cracker at LyondellBasell’s Wesseling, Germany, plant into polymers and sold under the CirculenRenew brand name.

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 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

As a leader in the global chemical industry, LyondellBasell strives every day to be the safest, best operated and most valued company in our industry. The company's products, materials and technologies are advancing sustainable solutions for food safety, access to clean water, healthcare and fuel efficiency in more than 100 international markets. LyondellBasell places high priority on diversity, equity and inclusion and is Advancing Good with an emphasis on our planet, the communities where we operate and our future workforce. The company takes great pride in its world-class technology and customer focus. LyondellBasell has stepped up its circularity and climate ambitions and actions to address the global challenges of plastic waste and decarbonization. In 2022, LyondellBasell was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies" for the fifth consecutive year.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Huhtamaki has decided to initiate the process to divest its operations in Russia. This follows an earlier decision to stop all investments in Russia at the outbreak of the invasion of Ukraine, according to GlobeNewswire.

Huhtamaki considers that the current evolution of the situation and the long-term outlook in Russia will prevent the realization of its growth strategy and long-term ambitions in the country. Huhtamaki will continue to prioritize investments that capture the significant growth opportunities in the rest of the world, in line with its global ambitions and 2030 Strategy.

The safety and wellbeing of all our colleagues remain of paramount importance. Huhtamaki has four manufacturing units in Russia, employing approximately 700 people and has successfully supported global and local customers over the last 30 years. The net sales in Russia represent approximately 3% of the Group’s total net sales.

Huhtamaki will explore the market for potential buyers and will maintain its operations during this transitional period, subject to supply chain availability, to meet its contractual and regulatory obligations and to safeguard employees and customers.

As MRC informed before, in August 2021, Huhtamaki (Finland) signed an agreement to acquire Turkey's Elif Holding A.S., a major supplier of environmentally friendly flexible packaging, for EUR412 mn (USD483 mn). The acquisition was in line with the Finnish packaging manufacturer's growth strategy to 2030 in terms of geographic reach, technological capabilities and product mix. This allows Huhtamaki to expand its flexible packaging production capacity in Turkey, which the company considers to be one of the countries with the greatest growth in the future.

We remind that in December 2019, Huhtamaki completed the acquisition of the majority of the business of Everest Flexibles (Pty) Limited a privately-owned flexible packaging manufacturer in South Africa. The annual net sales of the acquired business is approximately EUR 40 million and it employs altogether approximately 460 people. The business was acquired for an enterprise value of EUR 58 million.

Huhtamaki is a global specialist in packaging for food and drink. With our network of 80 manufacturing units and additional 24 sales only offices in altogether 35 countries, we’re well placed to support our customers’ growth wherever they operate. With 100 years of history and a strong Nordic heritage the company operates in 38 countries and 114 operating locations around the world. The compay's 2021 net sales totaled EUR 3.6 billion. Huhtamaki Group is headquartered in Espoo, Finland.
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