Formosa reschedules ethylene plant maintenance from September

(plastemart) -- Taiwan's Formosa Petrochemical Corp. has rescheduled a 40-45 day maintenance shutdown from September to mid August at its No. 2 ethylene plant. The change has been made to adjust to a contractor's schedule. Formosa is currently running the 1.035 mln tpa ethylene plant at full capacity.

MRCMRC Reference

Formosa

The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PVC-S - 3.0%;

PP - 0.4%.

Annual growth sales in Russia :
PVC - 79 % (over the last year) ;

PP - 272 % (over the last 3 years).

Supply by processing technologies:
profile extrusion

film extrusion

(Kommersant) -- US ConocoPhillips will remain LUKOIL stockholder in the next future.

"I don't think it will happen soon. They will hardly decide to sell such a big stake. As a stockholders, they are interested in the Company's capitalization growth and can earn more from it. - said LUKOIL's President Vagit Alekperov.

He also told that ConocoPhillips is not negotiating about selling a big stake of LUKOIL to the other oil companies, reminding that LUKOIL has the priority purchase right.

MRC

LONDON (ICIS news) -- SolVin and Arkema will separate from their joint ventures in vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production in France and Spain, the companies said on Friday.

Effective from 1 July 2010, both groups have decided to acquire their reciprocal minority interests within the industrial entities of VinylFos, Vinilis and VinylBerre.

Following this deal, both partners would regain their respective independence on the production sites in which they hold a majority stake, the companies said.

MRC
MRC Reference

Arkema.

The share in the Russian market in 2008:

PVC - 0.2%;

EVA - 1.1%.

Annual sales growth in Russia, during the recent 5 years:

PVC - 69%;

PE - 121%.

Imports by polymers processing technologies:

coating;

cable extrusion.

MOSCOW (INTERFAX) -- Plant fire at petrochemicals stock in Fanshan region in southwestern part of Beijing started on Tuesday morning.

Fire fight lasts six hours already with over 100 fire trucks of Fanshan and neighbouring regions taking part on it, however, they haven't managed to liquidate fire yet.

There is no data about possible victims or area pollution. There are polyethylene, polypropylene and other chemical goods at the plant stocks.

MRC

(plastemart) -- Thailand's largest oil and gas firm PTT is in the process of outlining a 20 year investment plan. Expected to be completed before August, it will be submitted to PTT's Board of Directors for formal approval. This will be the largest investment in the company's history, taking it into new areas of the energy sector, will focus on upstream and downstream sectors, alternative energy and the petrochemical industry, along with investing in power plants and coal business. Each of PTT's subsidiaries will be responsible for the areas in which they are expert. Though the total size of its investments over the next 20 years is unclear, funding is being arranged for the plan, to be split into two 10 year plans. The Thai major plans to focus on projects outside the country, earmarking 50% of the total investment into overseas projects. Half of the total investment will fund projects in upstream energy; 15-20% in downstream energy; 20% in the petrochemical industry; and 10% to alternative-energy projects.

Though four of PTT's subsidiaries Thai Oil, IRPC, PTT Aromatics and Refining and PTT Chemical are to be merged in the future, they would be divided as business units under one umbrella.

MRC