Uzbekistan will attract China's Citic Pacific to expand capacity of Kungrad Soda Plant

(Trend) -- Uzbekistan will attract China's Citic Pacific Ltd. to expand capacity of Kungrad Soda Plant, a source in the Uzbek government told Trend on Friday. According to the source, the State Joint-Stock Company Uzkhimprom and Chinese company signed a memorandum of cooperation, which envisages implementation of a project to increase plant capacity by 1.5 times - up to 150 KTa of soda ash by 2015. The contract between CITIC and Uzkhimprom is expected to be signed in the first half of 2012.


At present, the Chinese company and specialists from the design institute "Uzkhimesanoatloyiha", which is included in Uzkhimprom, is developing the preliminary feasibility study at an initial cost USD 50 million, the source said. The project financing is envisaged via a loan from China Exim Bank and the Uzbek side's funds.


Kungrad soda plant, with a current design capacity of 100 KTa of soda ash, was commissioned in August 2006 by China's Citic Pacific Ltd. and Uzkhimprom. The total project cost was USD 100 million.


MRC

Formosa restarts 700 KTa No. 1 naphtha cracker

(Plastemart) -- Formosa Petrochemical Corp has restarted operations at its 700,000 tpa No. 1 naphtha cracker at 65% capacity. The cracker has been shut down since a fire on May 12, as per Reuters. It will a matter of a less than a week that the cracker will start running at full tilt.


A 1.2 mln tpa No. 3 cracker has been shut for a 40-45 days maintenance in mid-August, while its No. 2 cracker is running at full-tilt. Its 540,000 bpd refinery was completely shut following a separate fire in end-July. Run rate at the refinery has been restored to nearly 75%, after restarting its three crude units in stages. However, one of its two 84,000 bpd residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) is still shut and will not restart this month because another fire on Sept. 6 at an alkylate unit has caused it to conduct additional safety checks.


MRC

Germany's Plastics and Rubber Machinery group expect rising exports

(Plastics Today) -- In Germany, the Plastics and Rubber Machinery group within the country's machine manufacturing trade association, the VDMA, says its members expect exports of plastics and rubber machinery to continue to rise. Last year saw a robust recovery in foreign deliveries by German plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers, according to the VDMA, with annual growth of 25.6%. Despite that surge, exports fell far short of the record achieved in 2008.


Germany is the leading exporter of plastics and rubber processing machinery. According to the VDMA, the countries with the biggest sales markets all boast significantly above-average growth rates. China ranks first with a 67% increase, followed by the U.S. with 60%, India with 95%, Russia with 80.1%, Mexico with 96.8% and Turkey with 87.3%.


MRC

Sasol, Uzbekneftegaz, Petronas to install GTL project in Uzbekistan

(Plastemart) -- South Africa-based petrochemicals group Sasol Ltd. along with its partners Uzbekneftegaz and Malaysia's Petronas, has agreed to install a gas-to-liquids (GTL) project in Uzbekistan, signing an investment deal with the country's Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investment and Trade. Production at the facility will comprise high quality, environmentally friendly diesel, kerosene and naphtha.


The subsequent phase of the venture involves front-end engineering and designing of the plant that is expected to start by the end of 2011. Following the final investment decision, the GTL project will come online in the second half of this decade. As per the feasibility study conducted by Sasol, the venture has the prospects of building a GTL plant in Uzbekistan with an estimated nominal capacity of 1.4 mln tpa. Sasol and state-owned oil company Uzbekneftegaz hold a 44.5% interest each, while Petrona controls the remaining 11% stake.


MRC

Coca-Cola-Eco Plastics JV to recycle plastic bottles in Great Britain

(Plastemart) -- Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) and ECO Plastics have formed a pioneering joint venture - a first for the UK recycling and beverage industries, the new business will be known as Continuum Recycling Limited. The name reflects the fact that the joint venture company will establish a continuous process for re-processing plastic bottles in Great Britain. Used plastic bottles will be recycled in Lincolnshire and the high quality materials produced will be re-used in new Coca-Cola bottles.


Jonathan Short, Managing Director of ECO Plastics said: ⌠Today's news is important because it demonstrates again our commitment and progress towards realising what will be a revolutionary project for the British recycling and beverage industries. I'm delighted that we are on track to deliver against the ambitious project timetable. ⌠ECO Plastics' plant is already the largest and most sophisticated in Europe and we will now be able to increase capacity from 100,000 tpa to 140,000 tpa of mixed plastic bottles, just under 50% of the total collected last year.


MRC