LyondellBasell to implement energy surcharges in Europe

LyondellBasell has introduced an energy surcharge on its European sales of polypropylene, high-density polyethylene and low-density polyethylene, said Polymerupdate.

Register Now The surcharge is based on the average of the German month-ahead forward power price and will total Eur160/mt during September, the company said. The surcharge will then automatically increase or decrease in following months according to the electricity price.

"Triggered by the Ukraine war and the boycott of Russian gas, in the past months we have seen a further and very significant increase in the costs of natural gas, electricity and freight in all countries in Europe," the customer letter said, noting that Lyondell would continue to cover "a majority" of increased production costs.

"We consider this Energy Surcharge to be fair, given the fact that the increased production costs for our manufacturing facilities are still considerably higher than the proposed surcharge. Therefore, LyondellBasell will continue to bear a majority of the increased production costs."

We remind, Dow said it is reducing operating rates at its PE plants globally by 15pc, although it is unclear what the firm's European plant run rates had been prior to this and how much of an effective reduction took place subsequently.
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BASF and Ingredi, a China based supplier of natural actives and solutions for the personal care industry, announce the signing of a partnership, including a strategic equity investment into Ingredi by BASF, said the company.

While the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) market is known by many consumers, the use of plant-based actives with a TCM background is a new trend in the personal care industry and continues to grow fast. Ingredi, established in 2017, brings in their strong capabilities identifying new personal care active ingredients from the natural plants found in the Himalaya area of China. BASF contributes its expertise in demonstrating how to successfully add these ingredients into personal care formulations and will market these products globally to its customers.

Ingredi has a proven track record and gained a reputation by bringing new actives from this traditional background, both with local Chinese and international personal care formulators. Based on a strong R&D platform and in-house testing facilities (in-vitro and in-vivo), Ingredi has expanded its business rapidly. Through the equity investment from BASF, Ingredi will be able to extend its production facilities.

In addition, BASF will jointly work with Ingredi to identify new solutions and commercialize these to the global personal care market. “It is a great honor for us to be recognized by BASF as such a valuable partner for the industry,” said Dr. Ji Zhou, Chairman and Founder of Ingredi, China. “The partnership with BASF will enable us to benefit from BASF’s experience in the industry and profit from each other’s knowhow."

“We are committed to deliver new innovative solutions to the personal care market, and to build an ecosystem of partners that can support our customers,” said Dr. Robert Parker, Director of New Business Development & Digital Officer, Care Chemicals at BASF. “We are proud to collaborate with Ingredi developing their business with mutual benefits together." The partnership between BASF and Ingredi is a further example of how BASF’s Care Chemicals Division is addressing future challenges.

We remind, BASF, SABIC and Linde have started construction of the world’s first demonstration plant for large-scale electrically heated steam cracker furnaces. By using electricity from renewable sources instead of natural gas, the new technology has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions of one of the most energy-intensive production processes in the chemical industry by at least 90% compared to technologies commonly used today.
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Bridgestone Brazil announced an additional investment in its tire production plant in Camacari, in the state of Bahia, said the company.

Keeping up with the growing market demand for high-performance tires, the company is investing more than R$270 million in the modernization and expansion of the factory, which brings the company's total investments announced since 2021 to more than R$ 970 million for the Bahia plant.

Vicente Marino, president of Bridgestone Latin America South, attended the official ceremony alongside Rui Costa, governor of the State of Bahia and his team. “This investment is part of our strategic plan for sustainable growth in Brazil, focused on the premium tire market and the production of tires for more sustainable and electric/hybrid vehicles, which reinforces our commitment and the country's strategic position for the company’s global business,” said Vicente. “This expansion is also a major capability play for Bridgestone, as we look to delivery on sustainable solutions journey with products that will be incorporated with digital readiness."

This second phase of expansion and modernization of the Bahia plant will allow for an increase in production capacity, generating 126 new permanent jobs. Tire production will increase, thanks to new manufacturing technologies and the growing application of industry 4.0 concepts, including artificial intelligence control technology that increases productivity and the application of knowledge and data in a digital manufacturing environment. Aligned with the company's vision of generating social and customer value, Bridgestone's plant in Camacari is preparing for growth in demand for electric/hybrid and sustainable vehicles – and the high-performance tires to equip them.

The Bridgestone plant in Bahia, which opened in 2006, employs more than 1,300 people. It produces tires for passenger vehicles, vans and pick-up trucks, intended for the original equipment manufacturers, replacement and export markets. The Bahia plant achieved another milestone with its earlier expansion in 2016, undertaken 10 years after it began operations. Bridgestone has already invested nearly R$1.5 billion in expanding the facility’s production structure from 2006 to 2020.

Bridgestone Brazil operates another tire factory in Santo Andre (SP) and two Bandag retread factories, located in Campinas (SP) and Mafra (SC). Bridgestone’s latest investment in Brazil aligns with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment that defines the eight values to which the company commits to co-creating together with society, its partners and customers toward a sustainable society. This investment in manufacturing supports the “Extension” and “Economy” values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment.

We remind, Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone), a global leader in tires and sustainable mobility solutions, today announced an exclusive partnership with Carbon Capture and Transformation (CCT) company, LanzaTech NZ, Inc. (LanzaTech) to address end-of-life tire waste. The two companies will co-develop the first dedicated end-of-life tire recycling process leveraging LanzaTech's proprietary CCT technology, creating a pathway toward tire material circularity and the decarbonization of new tire production.

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Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary NextChem has been awarded a Pre-FEED engineering services contract by MadoquaPower2X to develop and operate an integrated renewable hydrogen and green ammonia plant located in Sines, Portugal, said the company.

The agreement was signed at Gastech at the presence of H.E. Joao Galamba, Secretary of State for Environment and Energy – Government of Portugal. The purpose of the Pre-FEED engineering services includes early studies, technology and process review, modularity and logistics analysis, front end loading of engineering required to undertake the permitting and licensing for the project.

MadoquaPower2X will use renewable energy and 500 MW of electrolysis capacity to produce annually 50,000 tons of green hydrogen along with green ammonia plant capacity of up to 500,000 kt/y with up to 600,000 t/y CO2 emissions avoided in this initial phase. It is the first project to be installed at the future energy and technological hub of Sines with an industrial scale. The consortium is committed to developing, installing and operating the project to the highest environmental and safety standards. It will be located in Portugal, in the Sines industrial zone – ZILS – and will generate economic growth with an activity classified as sustainable according to the latest EU Taxonomy. The project is geared towards the set-up of an export energy carrier value chain between the Port of Sines (Portugal) and Northwest European destinations.

Joao Galamba, Secretary of State for Environment and Energy – Government of Portugal: “Climate neutrality by 2050 requires bold decisions on sustainable investments with a focus on energy and climate goals, while allowing economic recovery and MadoquaPower2X in Sines is a good example of this. From ambition we moved to action, and we are pleased to witness this important milestone for MadoquaPower2X and Maire Tecnimont, confirming the right path to meet the goals we have set for energy transition. I congratulate the partners of this project for their commitment and dedication”.

Alessandro Bernini, Chief Executive Officer of Maire Tecnimont Group and NextChem: “We are proud of this agreement with MadoquaPower2X and CIP as it targets a project with a significant
impact on the renewable hydrogen-based economy in Europe. A project of this nature is a great example of sustainable European energy security, connecting the renewable potential of Portugal with Northern European energy infrastructure through green hydrogen”.

Rogaciano Rebelo, Chief Executive Officer – Madoqua Renewables: “We are excited to bring Maire Tecnimont and NextChem on board to accelerate the licensing and engineering phases of our project. Maire Tecnimont Group has 70 years of engineering excellence and delivered over 1,500 chemical and power plants globally, thereby demonstrating its capacity to engineer a complex first of a kind large scale electrolysis-based ammonia project”.

We remind, Maire Tecnimont announced that its subsidiaries Tecnimont and Stamicarbon have been awarded several new contracts and order variations for licensing, engineering services and EPC activities for an overall value of approximately USD96 MM. These contracts have been granted by international clients in Nigeria, as well in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. In particular, Tecnimont has been granted a FEED contract by African Refineries Port Harcourt Limited for a 100,000 bpd refining plant, which is due to be operational in 2025.

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A., a company listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, heads an international industrial group that is a leader in the transformation of natural resources (plant engineering in downstream oil & gas, with technological and execution competences). Through its subsidiary NextChem, it operates in the field of green chemistry and the technologies to support the energy transition. Maire Tecnimont Group operates in about 45 countries, through approximately 50 operative companies and about 9,300 people.
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India's minister of petroleum and natural gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, said most of his country's crude oil supplies in the near future will come from the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, as it seeks a secure and affordable energy base, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Indian refiners have been snapping up relatively cheap Russian oil, shunned by Western companies and countries since sanctions were imposed against Moscow for what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. India's imports from Russian oil rose by 4.7 times, or more than 400,000 barrels per day, in April-May, but fell in July.

Crude oil imports from Saudi Arabia by the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer rose in July by more than 25% after Saudi Arabia lowered the official selling price in June and July compared with May. Saudi Arabia stayed at the No. 3 spot among India's suppliers.

"As far as India is concerned, I see for the foreseeable future much of our crude oil supplies will be coming from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, among others," Puri told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Gastech conference in Milan. Although oil imports from Russia declined by 7.3% in July from the June levels, Moscow remained the country's second biggest oil supplier after Iraq.

Puri said that by the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2022, India's purchases from Russia represented only 0.2%, but rose later as the global situation became "problematic". "We started to buy a little more, but we still buy a fraction of what Europe buys from Russia. A democratically elected government like what we have in India will make sure that the consumers are provided with energy (not only) on a secure basis, but also on an affordable base," he said.

Asked if future purchases of Russian oil would rise or decline, Puri said he wouldn't rule out anything. "When prices are high, the logistical factors are applied. We have a duty to our consumers."

European countries and the United States have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. New Delhi has called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, but it has not explicitly condemned the invasion.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government values good relations with Washington and the West, Indian officials say domestic needs come first and argue that Russia has been a better friend than the United States in energy cooperation.

Puri said the rise in global energy prices is not directly linked to the war in Ukraine but rather to the "misaligned equilibrium between supply and demand," with the geopolitical situation an additional factor. Asked if he would support a price cap on Russian oil, Puri said they will examine the issue once more details are available.

We remind, HPCL commenced its Cowdung to Compressed Biogas Project at Sanchore, Rajasthan. This will be HPCL’s first project under Waste to Energy portfolio. The plant is proposed to utilize 100 Tons per day of dung to produce biogas, which can be utilized as automotive fuel. The project is proposed to be commissioned in a year’s time.
The project’s ground breaking ceremony took place at Shree Godham Mahatirth Pathmeda Lok Punyarth Nyas, Village Pathmeda, Tehsil Sanchore District Jalore in Rajasthan which was attended by ED - Bio-fuel & Renewables, Shri Shuvendu Gupta and Senior officials from HPCL.
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