HIF Global and Idemitsu Kosan announce carbon neutral eFuels strategic cooperation

HIF Global and Idemitsu Kosan announce carbon neutral eFuels strategic cooperation

HIF Global, the world’s leading eFuels company, and energy company Idemitsu Kosan announced a strategic cooperation agreement to accelerate the production of carbon neutral eFuels, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The HIF-Idemitsu strategic cooperation will focus on purchase of eFuels by Idemitsu from HIF eFuels facilities worldwide, co-investments in HIF eFuels facilities and new facilities in Japan, and supply of recycled carbon dioxide from Japan for use in the eFuels production process.

Cesar Norton, HIF Global CEO, said, “eFuels are available now to decarbonize existing cars, ships, and airplanes without any modifications to their engines. Our eFuels facility at Haru Oni in Chile is already producing carbon neutral gasoline. We expect to begin construction on the first world-scale eFuels facility in Texas, USA in 2024, and we are developing additional facilities in Chile, USA, and Australia, which are all well placed to serve partners in Asia. Collaboration with companies with the global presence and resources of Idemitsu makes our plan to reach 150,000 barrels per day of eFuels production a reality. We look forward to advancing Idemitsu’s strategic objectives for carbon neutrality and delivering eFuels to help win the war on climate change."

Hiroshi Tanaka, Idemitsu Kosan, General Manager, Carbon Neutral Transformation Department, said, “Idemitsu is exploring ways to ensure a stable energy supply in a carbon-neutral society in 2050. In particular, we believe that eFuels are one of the best ways to promote decarbonization of mobility by utilizing existing infrastructure, and we hope that eFuels will be widely recognized and used around the world as soon as possible. Additionally, we are very pleased to be working with HIF, which aims to launch and supply the world's first large-scale eFuel production facility, to explore strategic initiatives. We look forward to working together to accelerate decarbonization."

A month ago, Idemitsu leadership and a Japanese delegation traveled to southern Chile to witness the production of eFuels at the HIF Haru Oni Demonstration facility.

eFuels are made using electrolyzers powered by renewable energy to separate hydrogen from oxygen in water. The green hydrogen will be utilized together with recycled carbon dioxide to produce carbon neutral eFuels, which are chemically equivalent to fuels used today and can therefore be dropped-in to existing engines without any modifications required.

We remind, Idemitsu Kosan Co has shut the 150,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Hokkaido refinery in northern Japan on Feb. 14 due to system trouble, said Hydrocarbonprocessing, citing a company spokesperson. He declined to comment on details of the glitch, but said it expects to restart operations soon.

mrchub.com

Thyssenkrupp Uhde and IDIP sign MOU for green ammonia projects

Thyssenkrupp Uhde and IDIP sign MOU for green ammonia projects

Thyssenkrupp Uhde and IDESA INDUSTRIAL PLANTS SLU (IDIP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate on developing and fabricating modules for green ammonia projects, said the company.

The deal will focus on the development of a joint project within the sector for the design, procurement, fabrication and construction of modularised green ammonia plants.

Under the agreement, the companies will work together to further develop modularised green ammonia plants suitable for integration with green hydrogen production units. These modularised plants will drive forward green ammonia projects, which are vital for the success of the energy transition.

The cooperation between the two companies will combine IDIP’s extensive know-how in the fabrication of skids and modules with thyssenkrupp Uhde’s vast experience in the engineering and procurement of ammonia plants, leading to synergies, cost savings, improved fabrication efficiency, increased competitiveness and risk mitigation.

At the same time, it will unlock capacity constraints, improve supply chains and enable thyssenkrupp Uhde to prepare for the increased demand that is to come in the wake of the enormous future investments in green ammonia markets that are required to secure successful energy transition.

We remind, Unigel announced plans to build a green hydrogen plant in the northeastern state of Bahia, with an initial investment of USD120 million and the goal of making it one of the largest of its kind in the world. The plant will starts its production planned for late 2023. At this moment, Unigel's integrated green hydrogen and green ammonia plant is expected to be the largest in the world. In the first phase of the project, Unigel installs three 20 MW standard electrolyzers from thyssenkrupp nucera, adding up to a total capacity of 60 MW.


mrchub.com

Borouge enters into agreement to expand footprint in East Africa

Borouge enters into agreement to expand footprint in East Africa

Borouge Plc, a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions, has entered into a Distribution Agreement with one of the biggest polyolefin distributors in East Africa, Somochem, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The agreement builds on a long-standing partnership between Borouge and Somochem and aims to increase Borouge’s footprint and presence in East Africa. The development comes on the back of Borouge’s significant growth in market share in the region.

Over the past five years, Borouge has grown its East African sales of infrastructure solutions and doubled its sales volume of advanced packaging solutions. The Company conducted targeted marketing and sales campaigns in the region, with a strong focus on Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Rwanda – the fastest-growing countries in the region by Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the African Development Bank, economic growth in East Africa is projected to reach 5% in 2023 and 5.4% in 2024. Market demand has been driven by the rapid and substantial infrastructure investment, healthcare improvements, rising living standards and urbanization. More than 112 million people in the region do not have access to clean water according to UNICEF, demonstrating the pressing need for high quality infrastructure to support the development of the region.

The region has an estimated population of half a billion and is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with many global consumer brands capitalizing on growth and partnering with Borouge to develop premium and recyclable products.

Borouge launched more than six new advanced packaging products which contributed to its organic sales growth. The new sustainable packaging solutions were designed with consumers and industrial premium applications in mind, and are engineered to be safe, lightweight, modern and environmentally friendly. The petrochemical company plans to launch new grades in 2023 to cater to the evolving demands of the market.

Borouge’s range of energy solutions ‘Bring Energy All Around’ and are used for insulation systems, jacketing for low, medium and high voltage energy transmission and distribution cables. Moreover, Borouge’s piping solutions are recognized with their improved processing properties, lower maintenance and installation costs, longer product lifetimes, increased safety and energy efficiency.

We remind, Borouge Plc, a leading petrochemical company that provides innovative and differentiated polyolefin solutions is supplying sustainable ‘Made in UAE’ polyethylene materials worth USD32 mln that are used in several development projects across the Middle East and Africa regions.

mrchub.com

PKN Orlen ends final Russian oil contract without penalties

PKN Orlen ends final Russian oil contract without penalties

PKN Orlen has terminated its contract with Russia's Tatneft without paying any penalties, the Polish company's chief executive said on Tuesday, after Moscow halted supplies of oil to Poland, said Reuters.

Supplies via the Druzhba pipeline were stopped in February, just a day after Poland delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Poland had pledged to stop using Russian oil by the end of 2022, the same time as PKN's long-term contract with Rosneft expired. The agreement with Tatneft was due to end in 2024.

"These contracts no longer exist. The one with Rosneft expired in January, we did not renew it," Daniel Obajtek told private broadcaster Polsat News. "The second contract with Tatneft ... when the oil stopped flowing, we had an argument to terminate the contract. On this basis, we terminated this contract without penalties." Obajtek said the contract was terminated "a few days ago".

Following the invasion of Ukraine and before the European Union embargoed seaborne supplies from Russia, PKN stopped buying Russian oil and fuels transported by sea.

It said its supply portfolio now included oil from Western Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf and the Gulf of Mexico. It also has a supply contract with Saudi Aramco as of 2022.

We remind, PKN ORLEN, finalised a transaction to acquire a part of Poland’s largest plastics manufacturer, Basell Orlen Polyolefins, in which the ORLEN holds an equity interest. The acquisition was approved by the antitrust authorities in Poland and the Netherlands. The business segment, acquired by ORLEN, specialises in the production and sale of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) as well as customer service in the Polish market. It is a polymer commonly used to make consumer and industrial products, found in plastic films, bags, canisters, food packaging, as well as components of electronic devices, such as wires and cables.

mrchub.com

Trinseo announces price increase for polystyrene and copolymers in Europe

Trinseo announces price increase for polystyrene and copolymers in Europe

Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, and its affiliate companies in Europe announced today a price increase for all polystyrene (PS), ABS and SAN grades, said the company.

Effective April 1, 2023, or as existing contract terms allow, the contract and spot prices for the products listed below will increase as follows:

STYRON™ and STYRON™ X-TECH general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) by +50 Euro per metric ton
STYRON™ and STYRON™ A-TECH, STYRON™ C-TECH and STYRON™ X- TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) by +50 Euro per metric ton
MAGNUM™ ABS resins by +10 Euro per metric ton
TYRIL™ SAN resins by +10 Euro per metric ton

We remind, Trinseo reported a Q4 net loss of $365.3m largely because of a pre-tax, non-cash goodwill impairment charge of USD297m related to its PMMA business and Aristech Surfaces reporting units. The company saw Q4 sales fall by almost 25% compared with the same quarter a year go while costs fell at a slower pace. The following table shows the company's Q4 financial performance. Figures are in millions of dollars.

Trinseo, a specialty material solutions provider, partners with companies to bring ideas to life in an imaginative, smart and sustainably focused manner by combining its premier expertise, forward-looking innovations and best-in-class materials to unlock value for companies and consumers.

mrchub.com