KazTransOil operating as usual despite flooding in Kazakhstan

KazTransOil is operating as usual despite floods in 10 regions of Kazakhstan, the company's press service said, as per Interfax.

"There is no imminent threat of flooding to KazTransOil's infrastructure. Oil transportation to Kazakhstan's refineries and export destinations continues as per the Energy Ministry's schedule," it said.

The company also confirms stable transportation of Russian oil to China and Uzbekistan.

MunaiTas LLP, Kazakhstan-China Pipeline LLP and Magistralny Vodovod LLP facilities are also operating without disruption, the company said.

KazTransOil is the national oil pipeline operator with 5,400 km of pipelines.

Kazakhstan is facing a critical flood situation, especially in the Aktobe, Akmola, Atyrau, North Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay, and Pavlodar regions. These floods are the worst the country has experienced in the last 80 years.

We remind, Russian oil producer Lukoil expects its damaged CDU-6 primary unit and catalytic cracker at the NORSI oil refinery to return to operations in the second quarter following seasonal maintenance, a company source said on Wednesday. The source also said that the damaged CDU-5 unit at the Volgograd refinery was put back into work on Feb. 21 and was now working in line with its designed capacity.

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Russia's Energy Ministry has not approached Kazakhstan with a request to reserve or supply motor gasoline to the Russian domestic market, the ministry told Interfax.

On Monday, Reuters reported, citing sources that Russia had requested that Kazakhstan be ready to provide 100,000 tonnes of gasoline in case of shortages exacerbated by Ukrainian drone attacks and production disruptions. Kazakhstan denied Russia had made the request, noting that they themselves are experiencing a motor gasoline shortage.

Moreover, the Russian Ministry of Energy said that Russia supplies gasoline to Kazakhstan, despite the ban on gasoline exports. "In accordance with forecasted indicative balances, supplies of motor gasoline from Kazakhstan to Russia are not envisaged. At the same time, the possibility of Russia supplying up to 285,000 tonnes per year of motor gasoline to Kazakhstan remains in effect even during the period of the ban on the export of this type of motor fuel from Russia, and these shipments are being implemented," the ministry said.

The ministry said that the Russian domestic market is fully provided with the volumes of motor gasoline production it requires. "Contracts for the supply of motor fuels to friendly countries are also being fully implemented. The available inventories of motor fuel are sufficient to meet the needs of domestic consumers, including taking the planned increase in demand in the spring-summer period into account," the Energy Ministry said.

In Russia, from March to September there is a ban on the export of commercial gasoline, with a number of exceptions, in particular, supplies to EAEU countries and shipments taking place under intergovernmental agreements.

We remind, Russian oil producer Lukoil expects its damaged CDU-6 primary unit and catalytic cracker at the NORSI oil refinery to return to operations in the second quarter following seasonal maintenance, a company source said on Wednesday. The source also said that the damaged CDU-5 unit at the Volgograd refinery was put back into work on Feb. 21 and was now working in line with its designed capacity.

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China's BYD Company Ltd plans to construct a plant to manufacture electric buses in Azerbaijan, and it intends to invest $34 million at the initial stage, Azerbaijan's Economy Ministry said, as per Interfax.

The plant should launch operations in 2025. It will be built on the territory of the chemical industrial park in Sumgait, with capacity of 500 buses per year. The project should create 800 jobs.

Electrify Azerbaijan LLC will be BYD's local partner in the project, and Azerbaijan Investment Company will be one of the investors, the ministry said.

The ministry also said that BYD Company Ltd plans to localize production of spare parts for the electric buses in Azerbaijan in the third year of the project. The relevant research has begun in this area.

The ministry said that there are plans to organize the production of large-capacity electric freight vehicles and electric vehicles for utilities, as well as the assembly of batteries in Azerbaijan, as part of collaborating with BYD going forward. The company plans to invest about $60 million in these projects in the future.

We remind, Russian oil producer Lukoil expects its damaged CDU-6 primary unit and catalytic cracker at the NORSI oil refinery to return to operations in the second quarter following seasonal maintenance, a company source said on Wednesday. The source also said that the damaged CDU-5 unit at the Volgograd refinery was put back into work on Feb. 21 and was now working in line with its designed capacity.

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Ineos Styrolution (Frankfurt) wants to raise prices for polystyrene in April - the company raised the gross market price for PS-GP by EUR60/tonne, said Kunststoffweb.

PS-HI is expected to become more expensive by the same amount, as the premium for the impact-resistant material remains unchanged at EUR100/tonne. In February and March, horsepower prices had already risen sharply - in three digits.

The styrene reference rose by EUR44/tonne in April. The costs for the additive butadiene rose by EUR70/tonne.

We remind, in March, Ineos Styrolution, a subsidiary of the prominent European petrochemical producer Ineos, has made a notable decision to increase the prices of its Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) products in the United States. The impetus behind this price adjustment stems from the escalating costs associated with the production and delivery of materials, a circumstance communicated to customers through an official letter from the manufacturer.

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

Effective April 1, 2024, or depending on existing contract terms, the prices for the products listed below will increase as follows:

STYRON™ and STYRON™ X-TECH general purpose polystyrene grades (GPPS) by +55 Euro per metric ton

STYRON™ and STYRON™ A-TECH, STYRON™ C-TECH and STYRON™ X- TECH high impact polystyrene grades (HIPS) by +55 Euro per metric ton

MAGNUM™ ABS resins by +60 Euro per metric ton

TYRIL™ SAN resins by +660 Euro per metric ton

We remind, Trinseo PLC (Wayne, Pennsylvania) has advanced plans to divest its styrenics businesses by initiating the sale of its 50% stake in Americas Styrenics LLC (AmSty; The Woodlands, Texas), said the company. Trinseo, which expects to find a buyer within a year, said the proceeds will be used to pay down a portion of the recently issued $1.077 billion of term loans maturing in 2028.

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