Reliance Industries reports a 24.8% rise year on year (YOY) in EBITDA for its oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business, to 142.4 billion Indian rupees (USD1.8 billion) in the fiscal fourth quarter ended 31 March, said the company.
Downstream product margins were negatively impacted by weak naphtha cracking economics and supply overhang in fiber intermediates. Quarterly sales rose 44.2% YOY to Rs1.4 trillion, due primarily to increased crude oil prices, it says.
Reliance’s O2C business includes refining, petrochemicals, fuel retailing through the Reliance BP Mobility business, aviation fuel, and bulk wholesale marketing.
In Reliance’s polymers business, domestic demand grew during the fourth quarter with the overall improvement in India’s economy and the easing of pandemic restrictions. Overall polymers demand improved by 3% YOY, which was 16% above pre-COVID pandemic levels. Polyethylene (PE) margins averaged USD325/metric ton compared with $539/metric ton the previous year. The sharp increase in naphtha prices resulted in unfavorable economics for naphtha-based crackers, it says. Naphtha prices averaged USD871/metric ton, up 23% quarter on quarter (QOQ).
As per MRC, Reliance Industries, operator of the world's biggest refining complex, may avoid buying Russian fuels for its plants following western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
As MRC informed before, in November 2021, Reliance Industries and Saudi Aramco decided to re-evaluate their agreement for the Middle Eastern producer to buy a stake in the refining and petrochemical business of India's biggest private refiner, and both companies would look at broader areas of cooperation due to the changing energy scenario.
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.
Reliance Industries is one of the world's largest producers of polymers. The company produces polypropylene, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride and other petrochemical products.
mrchub.com