Rosneft plant chooses INEOS technology for HDPE, LLDPE output

LONDON (ICIS) -- Rosneft has chosen INEOS Technologies' Innovene S slurry process technology for the production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) at its JSC Angarsk Polymer Plant, INEOS said on Monday.

The 345,000 tonne/year plant, currently in the engineering phase of construction in Angarsk, Russia, will produce a full range of commodity and specialty, monomodal and bimodal products, the Switzerland-headquartered INEOS Technologies said.

Due to its location in central Asia, Rosneft's JSC Angarsk Polymer Plant is expected to sell products into the Russian and Chinese markets, INEOS said.

This is the first time INEOS has licensed its Innovene S process technology in Russia.

MRC

(European Plastics News) -- BOPP manufacturer Treofan is selling the Treofan Benelux operation, including a production site in Liege, Belgium, to Crystal Amaranth. No financial details were disclosed.

Crystal Amaranth is based in Luxembourg and controlled by Gabriel Catania and Rens Korevaar, former executives at ExxonMobil Chemical Films Europe.

⌠The sale helps us focus our business more sharply on specialty BOPP film, and is thus a logical step in our overall long-term strategy, Carlo Ranucci, CEO of the Treofan Group, said in a statement.

The two firms have set up a tolling agreement, meaning the Liege site will produce up to 20,000 tonnes of BOPP film for Treofan ever year. Treofan will also cede some distribution rights for Treofan's products to the new Belgian entity.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- LyondellBasell Industries' 105,000 bpd Berre l'Etang refining and petrochemicals units, located in southern France oil terminal, are operating as planned. Regarding demurrage costs for LyondellBasell Industries' tankers, a company spokesperson said shipment details cannot be discussed for safety and security reasons.

A 13 day long strike has blocked sea access to the Fos-Lavera oil port, the world's third-biggest port with annual traffic of around 60 mln metric tons. The action against local implementation of a national harbor reform is preventing the unloading of 51 ships including 11 natural gas tankers, 19 crude oil tankers, 15 refined oil products tankers, three chemical products tankers and three barges.

Refineries situated in the Fos-Lavera region include Total SA's 158,000 bpd La Mede refinery, Exxon Mobil Corp's 119,000 bpd Fos-sur-Mer plant, LyondellBasell Industries' Berre l'Etang refinery, and Ineos PLC's 207,000 bpd Lavera plant.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- South Korea's Honam Petrochemical Corp. and Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. plan to build a polypropylene (PP) catalyst plant by the end of 2012. The plant to be built in Yeosu, will annually produce 100 tons of catalysts for the production of polypropylene (PP). The two companies will each invest 10 billion won (US$8.9 mln) to build the plant.

Honam Petrochemical said the plant will strengthen its competitive edge at home and abroad.

Only some global petrochemical makers, like Mitsubishi Chemical and Germany's BASF, have the technologies to produce catalysts for PP.

Honam Petrochemical, South Korea's top and Asia's No. 2 PP producer with an annual production capacity of 1.4 mln tons, said it will consume half of the catalysts to be produced at the plant.

MRC

(Plastemart) -- Petrologistics - US propylene producer, is to begin feeding its new 500,000 tpa propane dehydrogenation unit in Houston, Texas as per Platts. Start up was originally planned for late August/early September, but was deferred due to mechanical setbacks. Initial production is expected to be 70% CGP and 30% PGP.

Propylene contracts in the US could be under further downward pressure given the additional supply. US contracts were set to fall 1.5 cents in October as many participants in the negotiation process were heard to have agreed to the decrease.

MRC