Refiners H1 exports hit all-time high of USD27.95 bil. on higher oil prices, demand recovery

The exports of petroleum products by major refiners in Korea hit a record high of USD27.95 billion in the first half of this year on the back of higher oil prices and strong demand recovery amid eased COVID-19 restrictions, said Koreatimes.

The outbound shipments by SK Energy, GS Caltex, S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank represent a 97.6 percent increase from a year earlier and surpassed the previous record high of USD27.7 billion in 2012, according to a latest report by the Korea Petroleum Association. The robust growth came as the recent rise in global oil prices gave a boost to export unit prices, and the reopening of borders around the world after tight COVID-19 restrictions helped fuel demand for petroleum products, the report said.

The refiners in Korea also "strategically" diversified the regions to countries like Australia and the Philippines that experienced supply shortages amid the COVID-19-driven border controls, the report noted. The export volume rose 12.8 percent on-year to 220.9 million barrels in the January-June period, with the export unit prices of petroleum products jumping 75.3 percent to USD126.6 per barrel in the same period.

Diesel exports rose 8.8 percent to 92.9 million barrels, with its export value soaring 106.2 percent to USD12.56 billion due to the supply disruptions amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Exports of jet fuel also grew 40.1 percent to 35.27 million barrels, amounting to USD4.68 billion, up 171.3 percent from the previous year, boosted by strong global cargo demand amid the pandemic.

By country, Australia became the top buyer of Korean petroleum products, accounting for 16.2 percent in terms of export value, followed by Singapore with 12.2 percent, the United States at 9.3 percent, the Philippines at 9 percent and China with 8.6 percent, according to the report.

As per MRC, a sudden crash in global gasoline prices in the past two weeks has dented refiners' profits, pushing up inventories in key trading hubs around the world while looming exports from China and India also add to pressure on growing stockpiles. Refiners will be forced to cut gasoline output to safeguard themselves against losses and switch to producing more profitable fuels, traders say, but summer demand is also being hurt by high pump prices in the United States and Europe, and by instability and easing seasonal demand in some parts of Asia.
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U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell last week, driven by a surge in exports to an all-time high due to the big discount for U.S. crude when compared with international benchmark Brent, said Reuters.

Crude inventories dropped 4.5 MM barrels to 422.1 MM barrels in the week ended July 22, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 1 MM-barrel drop, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. The decline was in large part the result of a surge in crude exports to a record 4.5 MMbpd in the latest week.

The spread, or arbitrage between Brent and the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures has widened out to more than $9 a barrel, making it more attractive for U.S. companies to sell crude overseas and for international refiners to bear the costs of transport to get the cheaper U.S. oil.

"The arb has only increased so you may actually see us challenge 5 million barrels in coming reports," said Robert Yawger, executive director of energy futures at Mizuho. U.S. crude production rebounded to 12.1 MMbpd after two weeks of declines, rising 200,000 bpd in its biggest increase since December.

U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 3.3 MM barrels on the week. After a couple of weeks of lackluster demand, gasoline product supplied by refiners rebounded, though overall gasoline demand is down 7% over the last four weeks when compared with the year-ago period.?

Distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, fell by 784,000 barrels. Refinery crude runs fell by 292,000 bpd in the last week, EIA said. Refinery utilization rates fell by 1.5 percentage points in the week to 92.2%. Oil prices rose on the news. U.S. crude was up 2.4% to USD97.27 a barrel by 11:09 a.m. ET (1609 GMT) while Brent gained 2.1% to USD106.62 a barrel.

As per MRC, the Biden administration said it will sell an additional 20 MM barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a previous plan to tap the facility to calm oil prices boosted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as demand recovers from the pandemic. The administration said in late March it would release a record 1 MM barrels of per day of oil for six months from the SPR, held in hollowed-out salt caverns on the coasts of Louisiana and Texas. The United States has already sold 125 MM barrels from the reserve with nearly 70 MM barrels already delivered to purchasers, a senior administration official told reporters.
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bp has opened its first ultra-fast-charging facilities aimed at medium and heavy-duty electric trucks to support the decarbonization of the sector – where, according to the IEA, tailpipe CO2 emissions have increased on average 2.2% annually since 2000, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Operated by bp’s Aral brand, the retail site at Schwegenheim in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany now has two state-of-the-art 300kw ultra-fast chargers intended for electric trucks, powered by 100% renewable energy. Situated on the major B9 road, the Schwegenheim site provides truck drivers with a convenient, safe, well-lit station where an electric truck capable of charging at 300kw could increase its remaining range by around 150-200km during a driver’s mandatory 45-minute break. And the driver has access to additional services such as food and drink for their journeys, as well as toilets.

Emma Delaney, executive vice president, customers & products, bp said: “With the transition to electric vehicles well underway in Europe, we’re now seeing the move towards electric trucks. Truck manufacturers and truck fleet operators are demanding low carbon alternative fuels and electrification is an attractive option. Opening our first truck charging facilities at Schwegenheim is an important milestone for bp and the industry.

“Schwegenheim is a perfect example of what the industry needs – ultra-fast charging with safe charging bays for trucks, close to strategic road networks and a place where drivers can take a break and refresh with food and drinks”. In 2021 around 1,000 battery electric trucks were sold in Germany. In Europe that number is expected to reach over 150,000 units by 2030 with the highest penetration in Germany, at 43%v.

Daimler Truck, who are based in Germany and one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, launched their battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros for heavy urban distribution in 2021. The company has worked closely with bp to provide insights into the required layout, charging speeds, and convenience offers to provide truck drivers with the accessibility they need and a comfortable charging experience.

“I am pleased that bp and Aral pulse continue to support the electrification of German truck fleets. Zero tailpipe emission trucks will be crucial if we are to reach our decarbonization goals and to expand the charging infrastructure across Germany. This project is another milestone for the electrification of mobility in Germany and Europe", says Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, CEO & Spokesman NOW GmbH, National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology.

As per MRC, BP is aiming to start producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Australia by 2025 after converting its oil refinery near Perth to produce renewable fuels, a senior executive of the British company said. The project is expected to cost "hundreds of millions" of dollars, BP's Asia Pacific vice president of low-carbon solutions, Lucy Nation, told Reuters. BP has not disclosed what volume it plans to produce, but Nation said output would depend on demand as the facility would be able to switch day-to-day between producing sustainable aviation fuel and biodiesel.
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Itero has successfully raised €6 MM in investments, with EUR5 MM from Infinity Recycling’s Circular Plastics Fund (CPF), to support the design and construction of our first at-scale demonstration plant located at the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, Geleen, NL, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The demand for plastics has never been greater. Industry production of plastic is projected to triple by 2060 but existing recycling methods are limited in the types of plastics they can process and the quality of recycled products. Chemical recycling has fewer limitations - in the range of plastic waste processed and in creating virgin-quality recycled products. McKinsey has forecast that by 2050 more than 30% of the global polymer (plastic) demand will be met from advanced recycling (which includes chemical recycling).

Itero diverts end-of-life plastics from landfill and incineration, reducing consumption of crude oil. The proprietary pyrolysis process developed by Itero converts plastic waste into high-value chemical products. The chemical products are used as feedstock in the production of virgin-quality plastics, which can be retained again and again in the circular economy through the same process.

The demonstration plant will be able to process 27,000 tons of residual plastic waste annually, equivalent to the total amount of plastic packaging waste generated by the population of Amsterdam municipality per year. The funding will also support further research and development at Itero’s UK pilot plant at Iver, near Heathrow. Itero CEO, Mr Simon Hansford, said, “We are delighted that the significant potential of the technology developed by Itero is acknowledged by Infinity Recycling and other investors.

“Maintaining public goodwill and responding to environmental concerns about plastic waste, requires a process to recycle plastic safely, sustainably, and economically. Itero is working to provide a solution to that problem."

This investment is the continuation of a longstanding relationship between Itero and Infinity Recycling, a Rotterdam-based investment manager focused on helping promising advanced recycling companies with the upscaling and commercialisation of their technologies and growing the market for recycled polymers. The CPF, an Article 9 ‘dark green’ impact fund which is the highest designation under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), is committed to driving ESG impact.

As per MRC, Dow and Nexus Circular announced today that they have signed a detailed letter of intent (LOI) for Dow to secure the production output of a newly constructed advanced recycling facility in Dallas, Texas. The new facility will process and convert over 26,000 MTs annually of previously non-recycled plastic into circular feedstock that will be delivered back to Dow as a raw material to create new, recycled plastics for food-contact, health, hygiene, and fitness applications.
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As part of its pledge to reach net zero in its own operations by 2035, Sainsbury’s has announced the launch of Sainsbury’s Innovation Investments which will invest a minimum of GDP5 MM over the next four years into start-up businesses commercializing innovative, sustainable technologies that look to reduce operational carbon emissions and water usage, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) will scout and invest into early-stage companies, not limited to the Sainsbury’s supply chain, across a range of sectors. The first investment is expected to be announced before the end of 2022. In addition to providing much needed investment, Sainsbury’s is looking to accelerate dynamic start-ups and Small/Medium Enterprises (SME’s) in developing, testing, and deploying transformational technology that can reduce carbon emissions and water usage.

This announcement furthers the significant progress Sainsbury’s has already made in reducing its impact on the environment, having drastically cut its carbon emissions in its own operations by 762,119 tCO2e, a reduction of 7 per cent year-on-year and 20 per cent from its 2018/19 baseline, keeping the retailer on course to meet its Net Zero target of 2035. Sainsbury’s Innovation Investments is part of Sainsbury’s ongoing partnership with WAE, a world-leading technology and engineering services business, which combines cutting-edge technological advances and the industry’s best engineers; accelerating the drive for zero emissions.

In 2017, Sainsbury’s began the process of installing innovative Aerofoil technology to its fridges in-store. Since then, the pioneering energy-saving technology, collaboratively developed by UK start-up Aerofoil Energy and WAE, has been rolled out across the entire estate, resulting in an estimated 15% energy-reduction, with other retailers since following suit.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Property and Procurement Director, said: “We are committed to reaching our Net Zero target of 2035 and are proud to be doing our part in leading the way to create solutions that will reduce carbon emissions and water usage not just in our stores, but across the entire sector. We know that reducing emissions and water use is a critical part of tackling the climate crisis and to achieve this, we understand the importance of investing in pioneering technologies that can be adopted by all retailers."

“Tackling an issue of this scale requires collaboration and we’re really excited to not only invest in these businesses, but also provide a pathway to in-store use, working towards a more sustainable future for everyone." Matthew Burke, Head of Technology Ventures, Williams Advanced Engineering said: “Embracing new and unproven technologies is a necessary requirement to meet Net Zero and many of these products and services will emerge from the technology start-up community. Sainsbury’s Innovation Investments will accelerate the commercialization of these technologies through the opportunity of investment, trial and deployment across Sainsbury’s vast estate and operations. In doing so it will act as a springboard for wider and rapid technology adoption by customers across retail and other sectors who all share common Net Zero challenges. With WAE’s focus on sustainability, and expertise in technology and engineering combined with early-stage technology investing, we are delighted to be supporting Sainsbury’s journey to Net Zero with the launch of this unique investment initiative."

We remind,the Sherwin-Williams Company announced an agreement to acquire Gross & Perthun GmbH, a Mannheim, Germany based developer, manufacturer, and distributor of coatings primarily for the heavy equipment and transportation industries. The acquired business has approximately 100 employees and annual sales of approximately USD50 million, and will become part of the Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group reportable segment. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2022.
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