Wacker increases output at its polysilicon production facilities

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker Chemie AG has stopped the short-time work schedule introduced at Burghausen’s polysilicon facilities back in early October 2012, according to USindustrysourcing.

The Munich-based chemical company is trying to meet growing demand from its solar-sector customers. To do so, the company is ramping up its current capacities - which are currently curbed to two-thirds of full utilisation - and is, thus, ending short-time work at Wacker Polysilicon.

Back in early October, 2012, Wacker had begun to curb polysilicon production and had applied for short-time work for about 700 Wacker Polysilicon employees at its Burghausen site.

We remind that, as MRC wrote previously, Wacker Chemie had officially launched its new production plant for ethylene-vinyl-acetate copolymer (EVA) dispersions at its Ulsan site in South Korea. The additional 40,000 tonnes from the second reactor line increases the site's EVA-dispersion capacity to a total of 90,000 tonnes per year. Thus, the production capacity of the site almost doubled, making the plant complex one of the biggest of its kind in South Korea.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC

Mitsubishi Chemical offers to buy Tessenderlo compounds business

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japan-based chemical company Mitsubishi Chemical has offered to purchase the compounds activities from the Tessenderlo Group, said Chemicals-technology.

The offer comes on the heels of Tessenderlo's intention to divest its compounds activities, to help strengthen its focus on specialty products and services in the areas of food, agriculture, water management and valorizing bio-residuals.

"The offer comes on the heels of Tessenderlo's intention to divest its compounds activities."
The proposed sale will include four manufacturing sites, located in France, Poland and China and one R&D site in Belgium.

The group has informed the employee representatives of the companies making up the group's compounds business unit that the information and consultation procedures will be launched in the near future.

Tessenderlo's compounds business unit, which has extensive know-how in formulation and production of thermoplastics, generated revenue of EUR120m in 2011.

The company's range of thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and PVCs will provide original solutions for applications in the building, automotive, cabling and many other industries. The transaction is subject to merger control approval.

As MRC wrote earlier, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) reached a mutual agreement with Qatar Petroleum (QP)and Shell Chemicals to license its production technology of oxo alcohols through Mitsubishi Chemical Engineering Corporation.
MRC

TVK losses narrow in Q4

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petrochemicals company TVK, a unit of Hungarian oil and gas company MOL, on Tuesday reported a fourth-quarter net loss of HUF 581 million, well under the HUF 8.4 billion loss in the base period, said Bbj.hu.

Net sales revenue rose 3.4% to HUF 100.3 billion. TVK's operating profit was a slight HUF 344 million, compared to a HUF 6.6 billion loss in the base period. The company attributed the improvement to higher production and sales volume as well as favourable exchange rate changes.

As MRC wrote earlier, profit at MOL almost doubled in the third quarter thanks to a strong performance by the Hungarian oil and gas group's refining business due to improved product margins and inventory gains. MOL's net profit jumped to 67.5 billion forints (USD299 mln) from 36.4 billion in the same period of 2011 while group operating profit, excluding special items, surged to 117.2 billion forints from 64.5 billion.

TVK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hungary’s MOL oil, gas and petrochemicals group, which reported its own fourth-quarter results earlier on Tuesday.

MOL Group is an integrated oil and gas group in Hungary. In addition to Hungary, the company is present in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa region, as also in the CIS countries, with interests in exploration, production, refining, marketing and petrochemicals. MOL is a market leader in Hungary and Slovakia. It is the second largest company in Central and Eastern Europe.
MRC

Sadara selects Intertec enclosure technology for process analysers

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petrochemical company Sadara has contracted Intertec to protect around 1,000 field-based process analysers at its new complex in Saudi Arabia, said Chemicals-technology.

"The complex is expected to serve the emerging markets of Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa."
As part of the contract, Intertec will supply the environmental protection cabinets and shelters, which will protect the process analysers from the region's extreme climatic conditions.

Constructed from high-performance grades of glass reinforced polyester (GRP), the outdoor cabinets are being designed and produced at two of Intertec's plants, in Neustadt, Germany, and Sarnia, Canada.

Intertec had started making the deliveries of cabinets to the instrumentation OEMs involved in the Sadara project in the first quarter of 2013.

As MRC wrote earlier, Sadara Chemical Company awarded Tecnicas Reunidas (TR) the Chem-III project, contract for part of the chemical complex being built in Jubail Industrial City II, Saudi Arabia. Sadara is a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), and is the world's largest chemical complex ever built in a single phase. The project awarded to Tecnicas Reunidas includes the ethylene oxide, propylene glycol, polyols, ethanol amines, ethylene amines, butyl glycol ether plants and the auxiliary and control facilities necessary for their operation.

The Sadara complex, which will have 26 manufacturing facilities, is claimed to be the world's largest petrochemical facility ever built in a single phase and will manufacture more than three million tonnes of chemical and plastics products.

The complex is expected to serve the emerging markets of Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa.
The joint venture between Saudi Aramco and The Dow Chemical Company Sadara Chemical Company will build, own and operate an integrated chemicals complex in Jubail Industrial City II, Saudi Arabia.
MRC

Russian petrochemicals industry to expand in the next 5 years

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russian petrochemicals industry is set to expand in the next five year as plans to diversify the economy will bring more investment into the industry, said Plastemart.

Russian economy, which has been highly dependent on hydrocarbon resources, will receive more support from the petrochemicals industry once all the planned plants come on-stream, as per GlobalData's new report.

The major beneficiary of the diversification drive will be the olefins sector, where the production capacity will increase by more than 100% by 2017. The government is also supporting the industry by establishing petrochemical clusters at six locations across the country. This will further boost investments in the petrochemicals industry as these clusters will be integrated with the feedstock sources as well as downstream producers.

As MRC wrote earlier, Russia has identified six locations for cracker-based petrochemicals clusters as part of plans to develop this sector in the country.
The clusters will be located at two "brownfield" sites and four "greenfield" sites. They will be developed in phases, with the two brownfield sites - in western Siberia and in the Volga region - included in phase one.

Sibur already has gas fractionation and petrochemicals activities in Tobolsk, and is planning a new cracker project at the site. There is also already some petrochemicals production, including crackers, in Volga.

Phase two of Russia’s petrochemicals cluster plan involves developing a cluster in the Caspian region, he said. Phase three will involve developing clusters in the northwest region and eastern Siberia, and the final phase will involve a cluster in the far east of Russia.
MRC