BASF inaugurates its first sodium methylate plant in South America

(basf) -- BASF officially inaugurated its new world-scale production plant for sodium methylate in Guaratingueta, Brazil, its largest site in South America. The plant has a capacity of 60,000 metric tons per year and is supplying the regional market. Production started at the end of 2011 and the plant has been continuously delivering excellent product quality. It is the first BASF plant for this product in South America and the second in the world, in addition to a plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Capital expenditure for the project was in the low double-digit million euro range.

"This investment in the new plant responds to the growing market opportunity for biodiesel in the region. As announced last year, we are planning to build a second plant in South America in order to accompany South America's intended growth for biodiesel," said Dr. Alfred Hackenberger, BASF President for South America.
Sodium methylate is an efficient and reliable catalyst for the production of biodiesel, which has developed into an important and increasing alternative for diesel fuels in the past years. Biodiesel meets the requirements of engine manufacturers for high-quality fuels.

MRC

(wppg) -- As part of the strategic further development and expansion of its business as well as a meaningful succession planning the shareholders of WEENER Plastik AG in Weener/Germany have decided to transfer their shares in the company to Lindsay Goldberg LLC, New York. Lindsay Goldberg LLC is represented in Central Europe by Lindsay Goldberg Vogel GmbH, Duesseldorf/Germany. The takeover is subject to approval by the Federal Anti-Trust Board.

"The spectrum of expertise and possibilities that we can offer in the Group secures our competitive edge. This edge includes our innovative power, our broad technological basis and our proximity to customers thanks to our global reach. In Lindsay Goldberg we have found the ideal partner to also continue leading the Group of companies in this spirit in future," says Johann Meinders, Board Chairman of WEENER Plastik AG.
The new owner will seamlessly follow on from the successful strategy of the past years: In future corporate activities will also focus on healthy growth and strengthening the market position in global competition. With Lindsay Goldberg the further global orientation of the company can be pushed. All 450 jobs at the WEENER location and the other 750 jobs at the sites in the worldwide production network will be retained.

Since 1960 WEENER Plastik has designed, developed and manufactured innovative plastic packaging for the Personal Care, Food and Beverage, Home Care, Chemical and Pharmaceutical segments. This primarily includes primary packaging such as sealing caps, valve caps, beverage caps, plastic bottles, jars, dispensers and dosing systems.

MRC

(lukoil) -- Lukoil finished an evaluation and independent audit of its oil and gas reserves. The evaluation was performed in accordance with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) standards until the economic limit of commercial production is reached.

The audit results by Miller and Lents, a US firm, suggest that the Company's proved hydrocarbon reserves as of December 31, 2011 came to 17.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent, including 13.4 billion barrels of oil and 23.2 trillion cubic feet of gas. The oil already produced was replenished more than 100% through an increment in proved reserves in 2011.

Significant progress was achieved in 2011 in the preparation and commissioning of a number of new fields of the Company, which allowed the Group to transfer 170 million barrels of oil equivalent from the contingent resources category to the category of proved reserves. At the same time rapid production drop at the Yuzhno-Khylchuyuskoye field, as compared with earlier forecasts, led to a fall in the proved reserves by 147 million barrels of oil equivalent.


In summary, in terms of the proved hydrocarbon reserves volume LUKOIL retains its leading positions among the Russian and international companies.

MRC

(industryweek) -- Blaming a difficult operating environment in the debt-hit continent, Mitsubishi Motors said on Feb. 6 that it would stop manufacturing automobiles in Europe by the end of 2012.
Mitsubishi produces the Colt subcompact and the Outlander sports utility models at NedCar, a wholly-owned production unit in Born, the Netherlands, with 1,500 employees.

"But we have decided to withdraw production in Europe by the end of this year due to the unfavorable business environment for us there," a company spokeswoman said.

Mitsubishi is expected to suffer 22 billion yen (USD287 million) in operating losses in Europe for the fiscal year to March due to stagnant sales in a continent beset by the uncertainty of a raging debt crisis.

It will be the first withdrawal from Europe by a major Japanese carmaker, local media said, adding that Mitsubishi Motors now plans to shift its focus to emerging markets.

Mitsubishi said it would continue selling its own brand cars in Europe with shipments from plants in Japan and Thailand.

MRC

(bp) -- BP announced today that it intends to sell its LPG bottles and tank filling operations in Portugal, UK, Austria, Poland, Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, China and South Africa, as well as its non refinery-integrated wholesale business.

Also included in the sale are LPG storage terminals, bottle filling plants, customer lists, operating licences and logistics assets.

The decision follows a review of BP's LPG portfolio last year. As a result of the review, it was concluded that BP is not the natural owner long term of the LPG bottles and tank filling business.

It was felt that the business would offer greater opportunities for other companies wanting to invest allowing BP to continue to focus its refining and marketing businesses where it has leading market positions it can sustain and grow in the long-term.

BP intends to retain its autogas business in Europe and move it into the Fuels Value Chains, and maintain LPG wholesale outlets to support its refinery operations.
The LPG bottles and tank filling activities will continue to be managed as a global business until sold. BP intends to sell the businesses as going concerns and expects significant market interest.

MRC