BASF considers job cuts at plant in Finland

BASF SE is considering laying off all employees at its Finnish battery materials plant due to obstacles posed by red tape and environmental opposition, said the company.

The company anticipates starting redundancy negotiations that could affect a significant number of workers at the Harjavalta site. BASF attributes this decision to the prolonged permitting process, which has resulted in uncertainty regarding the plant's future. The potential layoffs stem from the company's struggle with the complex regulatory landscape and unresolved environmental concerns.

This decision reflects BASF's challenges in navigating the permitting process and addressing environmental opposition, leading to the uncertain fate of its Finnish battery materials plant. The company's impending redundancy negotiations highlight the significant impact on employees at the Harjavalta site, emphasizing the broader repercussions of regulatory and environmental obstacles.

We remind, BASF has broken ground on a methyl glycols (MG) plant at its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China. The new facility is designed with an annual capacity of 46,000 metric tons and aims to meet the rapidly growing demand for brake fluids in the region. The plant is scheduled to commence operations by the end of 2025.

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Nuberg EPC announced on Thursday that Mundra Petrochemicals has commissioned the global EPC and turnkey project management company to set up a capacity of 2,200 tonnes per day chlor-alkali project in Gujarat, said Business-standard.

Nuberg stated the project is designed to produce a range of essential chemicals, including 50 per cent Caustic Soda, Caustic Flakes, Anhydrous HCl, and Liquid Cl2, as well as other by-products crucial to Mundra Petrochemicals' Green Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Project.

Nuberg company executives said the project was awarded in March this year and will be completed over the course of the next 15 months.

“This Chlor-Alkali plant is more than just a project; it represents India’s industrial fortitude and is a key element in the production of feedstocks for MPL’s comprehensive suite of refineries and chemical plants, symbolizing Nuberg EPC’s steadfast commitment to driving India’s industrial advancement,” Nuberg’s press statement noted.

Adani Group had announced plans for an entry into the petrochemicals business as early as 2019. However, nothing significant has materialised so far. Further, the Hindenburg episode also raised concerns about whether the group will shelve plans for this business segment. The PVC business is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary under Adani Enterprises, according to company presentations.

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Dow targets certification of all its European sites against pellet loss by end-2024, said the company.

According to the company, more European sites will follow shortly: Dow aims to ensure all European sites are certified by the end of 2024. Two sites in Netherlands have achieved Operation Clean Sweep certification in Dow's Terneuzen and Dordrecht sites. OCS is a program designed to prevent pellet, flake and powder loss to the environment.

Operation Clean Sweep ® Blue is an enhanced commitment which includes external reporting of unrecovered plastic releases to the environment. In addition, we are in the process of obtaining external OCS Certification, starting with our European assets which are scheduled to be fully certified by the end of 2024.

In 2023 we launched an internal campaign called “Every Pellet Counts” to help educate our employees and aid in changing the mindset of each person whose work involves plastic production or handling. While we have incorporated OCS practices across our manufacturing sites, we are also extending this program to our external manufacturers and logistics service providers. In addition, we are sharing solutions that have helped us contain pellets with our customers and others in the value chain.

As an Operation Clean Sweep ® Blue member, and to increase our transparency, Dow annually reports the number and volume of incidents of any unrecovered release of plastic to outside of Dow facilities that are greater than 0.5kg. Internal reporting requirements have also been sharpened to capture data for near misses and loss of containment within facilities.

We remind, Dow and the Procter & Gamble Company announced a joint development agreement to create a new recycling technology to enable efficient conversion of hard-to-recycle plastic packaging into recycled polyethylene with near-virgin quality and a low greenhouse gas emissions footprint.

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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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