ExxonMobil commissions Beaumont refinery expansion

ExxonMobil Corp has started up its long-planned project to expand light crude oil processing capacity by 250,000 b/d at ExxonMobil Product Solutions Co's integrated refining and petrochemicals complex along the US Gulf Coast in Beaumont, TX, US, said the company.

Officially in operation as of 16 Mar 2023, the USD2 bn Beaumont expansion-completed on time and within budget despite difficulties posed by outbreak of the global pandemic following start of project construction in 2019-increases the refinery's overall crude processing capacity to more than 630,000 b/d, the operator said. Proposed in 2018 and formally approved in early 2019, the expansion added a third crude unit and hydrotreaters to accommodate the operator's growing Permian light crude production, to which the refinery is linked via pipeline.

ExxonMobil said the Beaumont refinery's new crude unit also will be well-positioned to further capitalize on segregated crude from the Permian's Delaware basin. Delaware production will be delivered via the ExxonMobil Pipeline Co-operated 650-mile, 36-inWink-to-Webster (W2W) pipeline that delivers to Webster, Baytown, and the Enterprise Crude Houston Oil terminal, in addition to providing connectivity to Texas City and Beaumont. An ExxonMobil spokesperson told OGJ the Beaumont refinery also has completed connecting pipeline additions at the site to accommodate the expansion's increased intake and offtake of crude and finished products, respectively.

Technip Energies (formerly TechipFMC PLC) provided engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of four units added as part of the expansion-including an atmospheric pipe still, kerosine hydrotreater, diesel hydrotreater, and benzene recovery unit-while KBR Inc delivered EPC services for the project offsites and interconnecting units. In its earnings presentation for 4Q 2022 and preliminary results for end-2022, ExxonMobil said it increased year-over-year net production from the Permian by about 90,000 boe/d to about 550,000-560,000 boe/d, with overall production from its regional operations anticipated to reach more than 600,000 boe/d during 2023.

By 2027, the operator said it plans to grow Permian output to about 1 M boe/d amid ongoing improvements in capital efficiency, lower costs, higher resource recovery, and better environmental performance. ExxonMobil confirmed that by end-4Q 2022 it had eliminated routine flaring from its Permian operations by 100% as part of the company's efforts to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the region by 2030.

We remind, ExxonMobil awarded a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract to Technip Energies for a blue hydrogen project at its complex in Baytown, Texas. ExxonMobil described the contract as the largest of its kind in the world. The company could make a final investment decision (FID) on the project in 2024. If ExxonMobil proceeds, it could start operations in 2027-2028. Financial details were not disclosed.

mrchub.com

Sika is to divest some admixtures assets to investment fund Cinven after the UK’s competition authority showed “concerns” about the initially-planned divestment to INEOS, said the company.

Sika is in the process to acquire construction chemicals peer MBCC, a process it hopes to conclude in the first half of 2023. In January, it said it was to divest to INEOS some admixtures assets coming from MBCC in the UK, the US, Canada and Europe.

However, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) told Sika it had concerns about the levels of market concentration the divestment to European chemicals major INEOS could have in the markets. “The parties [Sika and INEOS] therefore agreed to terminate the contract, while Sika has agreed to sell the ‘disposal perimeter’ [the assets] to international private equity firm Cinven,” said Sika.

“The CMA has already approved Cinven as a suitable buyer of the disposal perimeter. Financial and transaction parameters remain largely unchanged." According to Sika, the assets to be divested now to Cinven generated sales of Swiss francs (Swfr) 920m (USD1.0bn) in 2022.

They include production sites and sales offices in 36 countries with more than 1,600 employees.

We remind, Sika has agreed to sell Aliva Equipment, a Swiss unit supplying machines for the application of shotcrete, to Normet Group Oy, a Finnish global company providing solutions for underground construction, said the company.
In 2021, Aliva Equipment generated sales of CHF 12 million.

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories.

mrchub.com

Copa-Cogeca, Freshfel Europe, the European Fresh Produce Association, and Europatat, the European Potato Trade Association have made a statement calling for the Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste to reconsider the ban on packaging for fruit and vegetables under 1.5kg and instead implement more nuanced incentives and strategies such as ecological labelling, said Packagingeurope.

Although the organisations say that they support the intentions of the new regulation to cut down on packaging waste, achieve a circular economy as per the ambitions of the European Green Deal, and protect the functioning of the internal market, they have expressed their concern about its ban on single-use packaging for fresh fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5kg, fearing that the move contradicts existing material uses and life cycle analyses.

A decrease in product shelf life and the compromising of hygiene, organoleptic quality, and traceability are listed as the potential consequences of focusing on prohibitions without implementing workable alternatives. In turn, the restrictions – said to lack thorough scientific evidence and display a disproportionate focus on the fruit and vegetable sector – could apparently increase food waste and environmental impact.

Therefore, the organisations call for the new regulation to respect the essential use of plastic in certain contexts and suggest that, instead of implementing overarching bans, it turns its attention towards cutting down on superfluous packaging; encouraging the adoption of recycled, degradable, or compostable packaging where technically and economically feasible; and improving the collection, sorting, and recycling management of packaging at a Member States level.

We remind, Burger King’s German restaurants are implementing reusable and recyclable polypropylene cups for their beverages, milkshakes, and ice cream products through the RECUP deposit return system in the hopes of conserving valuable packaging resources and reducing waste generated from single-use cup solutions.

mrchub.com

Saudi Basic Industries Corp., also known as SABIC has appointed Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh as its new CEO, effective from March 21, 2023, said Arabnews.

Al-Fageeh has been working with SABIC as the acting CEO since Yousef Abdullah Al-Benyan stepped down in September 2022. The decision to appoint Al-Fageeh was made after the board of director resolution on March 21, SABIC said in a regulatory filing on the Saudi stock exchange.

In the statement, SABIC noted that Al-Fageeh is currently the chairman of SABIC Agri-Nutrients Co. and the Nusaned Investment Co. He is also the Chairman of the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association and the Chairman of the Petrochemical Manufacturers Committee.

Al-Fageeh is on the Board of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu and is also a board member of the Saudi General Authority of Foreign Trade. Al-Fageeh has been named the CEO of SABIC, just a few days after the company reported a 13 percent rise in total revenue to SR198.47 billion (USD52.88 billion) in 2022, up from the SR174.88 billion recorded in 2021.

SABIC’s net profit, however, fell by 28.35 percent to SR16.53 billion in 2022, due to a lower profit margin amid rising distribution costs.

"SABIC 2022 results remain strong despite challenging market conditions. Our sales volumes continue to grow, exceeding the previous year’s sales by 9 percent and driven by growth projects, improved reliability, inventory optimization and synergies with Saudi Aramco,” said Al-Fageeh after announcing the financial results.

Meanwhile, SABIC Agri-Nutrients reported SR10.03 billion net profit in 2022, registering 92 percent year-on-year growth, driven by higher average selling prices and sales volumes.

We remind, SABIC participated in a ceremony to announce the first package of Shareek projects involving large companies in Saudi Arabia. The event was held in the presence of several dignitaries, senior businessmen and heads of major companies participating in the program. During the ceremony, SABIC announced a strategic project to manufacture catalysts, aiming to transform Saudi Arabia into a manufacturing hub for specialized materials in line with the national industrial strategy.

mrchub.com

Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced that its Green Circle business entered into a strategic partnership with New Energy Risk (NER), a wholly-owned division of Paragon Insurance Group, in which NER will serve as the preferred insurance supplier for Green Circle’s advanced waste plastic recycling technology, said the company.

Upon completing a thorough due diligence process, NER is prepared to provide technology performance insurance solutions to plant owners and operators who license Green Circle’s advanced waste plastic recycling technology. Since 2013, NER’s performance insurance has enabled the financing of over USD3 billion for development of new and renewable clean energy technologies and other circular economy projects.

"NER provides an extremely valuable service to project owners looking to deploy early-stage technologies at scale through project finance,” said Greg Shumake, Managing Director of Green Circle. “They thoroughly evaluated our advanced waste plastic pyrolysis technology and are confident in its commercial viability. And as a result, it will be easier for our clients to develop bankable projects to drive a more circular economy."

The waste plastic pyrolysis technology uses a thermochemical process for turning end-of-life plastics into a high-quality product that can be used to reduce the carbon intensity in the production of both transportation fuels and circular plastics. Green Circle is working across the sector, from Fortune 500 companies to independent project developers, to deploy technologies that close the loop of the plastic product lifecycle.

"Green Circle’s advanced waste plastic pyrolysis technology has been developed with a level of expertise and discipline that is rare,” said Brad Price, Managing Director of Technical Due Diligence at New Energy Risk. “We are proud to help accelerate the adoption of this technology by providing assurance to owners and investors that this technology will perform."

Green Circle concentrates and expands Lummus Technology’s capabilities to capture new opportunities in the energy transition and circular economy. Green Circle is a leader in providing economically and technically sound solutions to: process solid wastes containing plastics; process various renewable bio-based feedstocks to value-added chemicals, polymers and fuels; decarbonize refinery and petrochemicals assets; and expand production of blue hydrogen and biofuels.

We remind, Lummus Technology announced Butadiene LLP has selected its iC4 CATOFIN®, CATADIENE®, CDMtbe® technologies and BASF's butadiene extraction technology for units at Butadiene LLP's new petrochemical plant in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.

mrchub.com