Russia price cap could threaten India oil supplies

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India would be one of the countries most exposed if Russia refuses to sell crude oil at the capped price under proposed sanctions to be imposed by the United States and the European Union, said Reuters.

In 2021, India was the world’s third-largest crude importer (214 MMt) after China (526 MMt) and the United States (305 MMt) (“Statistical review of world energy”, BP, 2022).

India and China rely on imports by tanker from the Middle East, Russia and other regions, in contrast to the United States, which receives most of its imports by pipeline from neighboring Canada.

India’s domestic crude and condensate production has been stuck at 30-40 MMt per year for the last two decades, data from India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas shows.

By contrast, domestic petroleum consumption has doubled to 202 MMt in 2021 from 103 MMt in 2002 (“Snapshot of India’s oil and gas data”, Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell, Nov. 10).

In the first ten months of 2022, India consumed a seasonal record 182 MMt, surpassing the previous peak of 178 million in 2019, before the pandemic.

As a lower-middle income country experiencing rapid industrialization and urbanization, India’s consumption is growing fast but its consumers are very sensitive to both price changes and the economic cycle.

Consumption has been growing by around 7% per year in the last 12 months, though there were signs of a possible slowdown to around half that rate in October.

We remind, India’s Petronet LNG plans to set up a greenfield petrochemical complex consisting of a 750,000 tonnes/year propane dehydrogenation unit (PDH), a 500,000 tonnes/year polypropylene line (PP) and other facilities for the import, storage and transfer of ethane and propane at Dahej, in western Gujarat state, said the company.
The project is estimated to cost around Indian Rupees (Rs) 142bn (USD1.74bn).
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Workers at the BP refinery in Rotterdam began work-to-rule industrial action on Monday after the noon expiry of a union deadline for a new pay agreement, a union spokesman said, as per Reuters.

Jaap Bosma of the CNV union said the action, under which workers do no more than specified in their contracts, would be followed by cuts in refining volume and eventually complete strikes if no agreement is reached. "It is definitely not going to remain at just this," he said.

BP representatives could not be reached for comment. On Thursday a company statement said: "We regret that we have not yet reached an agreement and that actions may follow."

The BP refinery in Rotterdam processes about 400,000 barrels of oil annually and is an important supplier of diesel to Northern Europe. BP's final offer in talks over a new collective labor agreement under discussion since April had been for a 5% wage increase and one-off bonus of 4,000 euros (USD4,000).

Citing Dutch inflation above 15%, workers continue to seek a 6% wage increase, the cash bonus and access to a stock compensation plan representing an additional 3.5% pay increase, Bosma said.

A joint memo by the two unions representing 300 of the 730 workers at the refinery instructed members to "strictly perform the set procedures". Another 130 covered by collective labor agreements are expected to join the work-to-rule action.

We remind, BP laid off most contractors at the approximately 160,000 barrel-per-day Toledo, Ohio, refinery it owns with Cenovus Energy Inc, according to sources familiar with the matter, indicating that the plant will experience a prolonged shutdown following last week's explosion and fire. The explosion killed two United Steelworkers members, identified as brothers Max and Ben Morrissey. The more than 100-year-old refinery has been offline since the middle of last week following the explosion and could be shut for several months.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- PetroChina Company Limited announced that in 1Q-3Q 2022, despite complex and severe external environment, the company overcame the challenges arising from lower crude oil demand and natural disasters such as flooding, said the company.

Coordinated efforts were made to maintain stable production and operations, promote business reform and innovation, and respond to COVID-19. Meanwhile, the company vigorously expanded its exploration and development efforts, and optimized the operation of its oil and gas industrial chains to ensure the stable oil and gas supply. In 1Q-3Q 2022, the company continued to deliver record financial results for the same period. In accordance with IFRS, the company achieved revenue of Yuan 2460 bn, up 30.6% year-on-year. Net profit attributable to parent company was Yuan 120.271 bn, up 60.1% year-on-year.

Net cash inflow from operating activities increased by 38.3% year-on-year and free cash flow increased significantly. The company maintained a sound financial position. Steady growth in oil and gas production amid persistent efforts in expanding exploration and development.

The company stepped up investment in exploration and development, actively expanded oil and gas production capacity, and strived to increase reserves and production. It also promoted the new energies business with solid steps and continued to increase capex to promote the integrated development of oil, gas and new energies. The company attached equal importance to production volume and profitability, and kept working on cost control. For overseas business, the company forged ahead with key projects and further optimized its business layout and asset structure. In 1Q-3Q 2022, crude oil output reached 677 M barrels, of which domestic crude oil output reached 577 M barrels, up 2.7% year-on-year. The marketable natural gas output reached 3445 bcf, of which domestic marketable natural gas output reached 3296 bcf, up 5.1% year-on-year.

The oil equivalent of oil and gas output was 1.25 bn barrels, of which domestic oil and gas output reached 1.13 bn barrels of oil equivalent, up 3.9% year-on-year. The oil, gas and new energies segment achieved an operating profit of Yuan 138.93 bn. Remarkable results in product mix adjustment driven by continuous transformation and upgrading of refining and chemicals operation. Stay market-oriented, the company actively optimized its resources and rationalized processing load.

It pressed ahead with reducing the output of refined products and increasing chemical and speciality products, with product mix further optimized. It also enhanced R&D efforts and established the research institute for new materials in Japan. As a result, the output of new materials substantially increased. New progress was made in the development of key projects, with the Guangdong Petrochemical and Refining Project preparing for commissioning. In 1Q-3Q 2022, the company processed 896 M barrels of crude oil and produced 77.456 M tonnes of gasoline, kerosene, and diesel.

The company produced 23.486 M tonnes of chemical products, up 3.5% year-on-year. The refining, chemicals and new materials segment generated an operating profit of Yuan 26.37 bn. The marketing segment recorded an operating profit of Yuan 7.24 bn.

We remind, PetroChina Dagang Petrochemical Company successfully commissioned a 150,000 tpy Ionikylation unit for the production of high octane alkylate. Start-up activities were completed on August 14, 2022. The Dagang alkylation unit is the third Ionikylation unit in PetroChina’s portfolio and the seventh commercial Ionikylation project to date.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sulzer Chemtech is providing process engineering and key equipment for the expansion of Dongsuh Indonesia (DSI) naphthalene downstream sector, said Process-worldwide.

The delivery of an advanced separation unit to DSI’s plant in Serang, Indonesia, will enable the production of high purity naphthalene that can be used for applications with stringent quality requirements.

DSI’s facility in Serang processes naphthalene from coal tar to deliver the valuable chemicals. To this end, the plant has been producing naphthalene related products. In order to increase the purity level of its raw materials and end products as well as serving the broader downstream sector, the company selected Sulzer Chemtech’s proven falling film crystallization technology.

Prior to the delivery of the purification unit, Sulzer Chemtech completed extensive feasibility and pilot testing ahead of its basic engineering package. This helped ensure DSI to produce different concentrations, including levels of up to 99.9 wt % at an overall production capacity of 7’000 metric tons per annum.

Song Ho Kim, President of DSI, says: “We are extremely happy with the collaboration established with Sulzer Chemtech. Their solution for crystallizing naphthalene is a leader in the market, so when looking at advancing our offering, we were confident we should invest in this technology. The flexibility of our operations will also be improved, helping us address different market needs while optimizing operational expenses and profitability. We look forward to installing the unit and beginning our first-grade naphthalene operations shortly.”

We remind, Sulzer Chemtech (GTC Technology) and BASF have signed a MoU with the goal of advancing technologies for renewable fuels and chemically recycled plastics that will further expand the partners’ portfolio of sustainable solutions. The companies enter a strategic partnership to reduce the carbon intensity of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. They will also drive the development of innovative, cost-effective chemical processing solutions to improve the conversion of plastic waste into new plastics.

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MOSCOW (MRC) -- TEC Project Services Corporation, a domestic subsidiary of Toyo Engineering Corporation was awarded a construction contract from Tosoh Corporation for developing separation and purification agent manufacturing facilities at the Nanyo Complex Shunan-shi, Yamaguchi in Japan, said Process-worldwide.

The lump-sum contract comprises engineering design, procurement and construction services for the project, which is expected to be complete in July 2024.

Toyo Engineering Corporation was also awarded an engineering, procurement support and construction management services contract for an acrylic acid plant and an ethylene plant at BASF’s Zhanjiang Verbund Project, a large-scale petrochemical complex in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, China.

This new Verbund site project was officially commenced in November 2019, and it is BASF’s largest investment with up to 10 billion euros by 2030. It would be operated under the sole responsibility of BASF. The site would ultimately be the third-largest BASF site worldwide, following Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Antwerp, Belgium.

We remind, Toyo Ink SC Holdings Co Ltd has announced plans to double the laminating adhesives production capacity from the current level at its Malaysia-based subsidiary Toyochem Specialty Chemical Sdn Bhd. By strengthening its global supply chain, the Toyo Ink Group plans to expand sales of high-functionality and environmentally friendly solutions such as solvent-free adhesives, the demand for which is expected to grow worldwide.
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