Eni starts hydrocarbons production in Western Siberia

(eni) -- Eni started the production of hydrocarbons in the Russian Federation, from the Samburskoye field, located in the autonomous district of Yamal-Nenets in western Siberia.

The initial gas and liquids production of the field, which is operated by SeverEnergia, a company in which Eni holds a 30% stake, will be 43.000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, (14,000 boepd net to Eni). The maximum gas and liquids production of 145,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (43,000 boepd net to Eni) will be reached in 2015. The gas produced will be sold to Gazprom, while Eni will retain the buy back and marketing rights on the Russian domestic market. The condensates will be destined for foreign markets.


The development of the Samburskoye field represents an important step forward in Eni's growth and consolidation in the Russian Federation, and is the first of four start-ups expected in the four-year plan that will lead to a production of about 200,000 boepd net to Eni in 2019.

SeverEnergia, a joint venture between Eni, Novatek (25.5%), Gazpromneft (25.5%) and Enel (19%), is the first Italian-Russian company active in E&P, has offices in Moscow and operates the Yamal-Nenets fields, which currently produces some 90% of Russian gas.
Since 2008, Eni has also had an agreement with Yamal-Nenets in place, for the creation of social and cultural projects.

MRC

LUKOIL and ROSATOM sign a strategic partnership agreement

(neftegaz) -- Vagit Alekperov, OAO LUKOIL President, and Sergey Kirienko, General Director of the State Nuclear Energy Corporation ROSATOM, signed a strategic partnership agreement between the Company and the Corporation.

Under the terms of the document, Rosatom will engage LUKOIL Group organizations in biddings for the supply of petroleum products, namely, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, liquefied hydrocarbon gases, fuel oil, oil bitumen and various-application oils for corporate needs.

For its part, LUKOIL will engage the Rosatom organizations in competitive participation in equipment purchases for petrochemical production, generation of thermal and electrical power, and also for pipeline transport. The Agreement will be valid for three years.


The oil and gas industry is traditionally considered the motive power of engineering. This Agreement will serve as a catalyst of cooperation between our Company and the atomic industry plants, whose equipment and technologies have always been marked by exceptional quality and high reliability', Mr. Alekperov said.

⌠Rosatom 's factories turn out high-precision science-intensive products which are already used in the petrochemical industry. I am sure that the agreement with LUKOIL Group will prompt us new forms of mutually beneficial cooperation, Mr. Kirienko commented.

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Indorama Ventures reopens PET plants at Lopburi after flood

(ivl) -- Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited ("IVL") would like to inform that their PET plants, Indorama Polymers Public Company Limited and Asia Pet (Thailand) Limited at Lopburi have started partial resumption of operations following a shutdown due to flooding from the end of September 2011.

The plants will ramp up production and is expected to be fully operational in May 2012.

At the same location, the company's packaging arm, Petform (Thailand) Limited, is expected to come online shortly after and the Indorama Holdings Limited, wool facility is expected to return to service later in this year.

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Styron customers back new timing for Europe PS contract settlement

(styron) -- Styron Europe GmbH announced today that it has secured the endorsement of more than 20 of its key customers to change the timing for settling monthly contract pricing for polystyrene in Europe.

As opposed to other products in the Plastics industry or regions of the world which settle prices early in the month, polystyrene contract pricing in Europe continues to settle at the end of the month in a process that both Styron and its customers describe as outdated, inefficient and detrimental for stakeholders across the industry. The proposal calls for contract price settlement to take place in the first week but not later than the 10th working day of each month from
May 1.

"On March 16, we made an appeal for an improved process to settle contract pricing for polystyrene to help customers and the industry in Europe," said Paul Moyer, Styron's Vice President and General Manager for Plastics. "We are pleased to report that nearly two dozen of our key customers support the proposal and have expressed their desire to switch the timing for contract pricing settlement as of May 1. We are optimistic about securing broader industry support in the next few weeks to make this a standard industry practice and improve pricing management and transparency for producers and customers."

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Dupont, Dow to help global automakers avoid output crunch

(Reuters) - Dupont (DD.N) and Dow Chemical (DOW.N) are among chemical firms working with global automakers who are bracing for a crunch in production, after a German chemical plant explosion cut a chunk of supply of a nylon resin used in brake and fuel systems.

The risk of production cuts is greater for car markers in the United States and France, and less in Japan and Germany, UBS said in a research note.

"We see high risk of production stoppages in the second quarter," UBS analysts said in the research note issued on Thursday. But they also saw an "equally high probability" that alternatives would be found within the same quarter.

The global supply of PA-12, used in several industries including auto manufacturing, was already stretched thin before the explosion at an Evonik Industries AG RAGES.UL plant in Marl, Germany on March 31, that led to the nylon resin shortage.

Auto experts and analysts are not clear how the shortfall would affect China, which has overtaken the United States as the world's largest auto market.

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