Prices of DOP plasticizer in Russia have dropped further by late June

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), has signed a license agreement with Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology LLC, a wholly owned Subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, for UNIPOL polypropylene process technology, said Businesswire.

"We are excited about the economic contribution we will make in Qatar with this first PP facility in the country. UNIPOL PP technology will give us the ability provide our customers with high quality PP products."
The 540 KTA polypropylene (PP) production facility will be located in Ras Laffan, Qatar, and will produce homopolymers, random copolymers and impact copolymers from a mixed feed cracker.

"The Middle East is in a growth period, and with UNIPOL PP Process Technology, QP/QAPCO will have the benefits of low investment and operating cost, the broadest product capability and leading product performance," said Tracy Cleckler, president of Union Carbide Chemicals & Plastics Technology LLC. "QP/QAPCO’s customers will also be able to produce polypropylene products that are lighter, clearer and cleaner to meet growing demand for high-quality polypropylene products."

The QP/QAPCO facility will be the first polypropylene plant in Qatar. UNIPOL PP Process Technology positions polypropylene manufacturers to meet and exceed increasing demand for high quality polypropylene.

Polypropylene is a very versatile plastic used in packaging, durable goods, automotive parts, non-wovens, fibers and consumer applications. Resins produced by UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology from Dow account for 17% of global polypropylene output.

There are currently 48 operating lines worldwide and 15 reactor lines under design and construction using UNIPOL Polypropylene Technology from Dow Polypropylene Licensing and Catalysts. The Polypropylene Process is an all gas-phase process for producing the broadest range of polypropylene resins. As MRC wrote before, Shanghai- Oriental Energy in March 2013 signed a license agreement with Dow for the use of UNIPOL PP process technology for a plant to be built in Zhangjiagang in Chinese Jiangsu Province.

The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational chemical corporation. As of 2007, it is the second-largest chemical manufacturer in the world by revenue (after BASF) and as of February 2009, the third-largest chemical company in the world by market capitalization (after BASF and DuPont). Dow is a large producer of plastics, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene, and synthetic rubber.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Rosneft and SANORS will build a new petrochemical facility in the Samara region, said the both companies at it sites.

The decision to the effect is envisaged by an agreement signed by the two companies in the format of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

In order to implement the project, Rosneft and SANORS to set up a joint venture on the equal basis. The two sides plan to sign legal documents to the effect before the end of the year.

The Samaranefteorgsintez (SANORS) holding is the manufacturer of the gas processing and organic synthesis products. It was established in April 2011 on the basis of three Novokuibyshevsk-based (Samara region) enterprises - the Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company JSC, the Neftekhimiya (Petro-chemistry) JSC and the SamaraOrgSintez OSC.

As MRC wrote earlier, SANORS in the late 2012 announced plans to start large-scale production of petrochemical products by 2015. The company will buid a new pyrolysis unit with a capacity of 500,000 tonnes of ethylene per year. After that the frim will build a plant for producing benzene, PE and PP.

In 2012, SANORS’ consolidated return reached 22.5 billion roubles (USD 1 = RUB 32.74). Besides the company’s output volume reached 942,800 tonnes.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Praxair, Inc. is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, has acquired Volgograd Oxygen Factory (VOF), a leading producer and distributor of industrial gases in southern Russia, significantly strengthening the company's merchant liquid and packaged gas business in this key region, said Praxair at its site.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. This is the latest in a series of investments in Russia that expands Praxair's production and distribution capacity.

VOF is an established leader in the Volgograd region, serving more than two thousand customers in a variety of industries including steel, aerospace, healthcare and food and beverage.

Praxair has invested in four other major projects in Russia, with combined production capacity greater than 3,500 tons per day of gaseous and liquid oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and argon. In addition, the company acquired Volzhsky Azot in 2012, which included two air separation units and a bulk and packaged gas business located in the Volgograd region.

"The acquisition of VOF is consistent with our business strategy to continue to build production and distribution density in southern Russia," said Todd Skare, president of Praxair Europe. "We expect to derive immediate synergies with Praxair's newly built air separation plant in Volgograd, as well as the integration of VOF into our existing regional infrastructure. Further, we expect to drive new profitable growth from VOF's large packaged gas presence in the region."

"We see Praxair as a high-quality investor for the development of industrial gases in Russia," said Vladimir Pantyashin, general director of VOF. "After managing this company for more than 24 years, we are confident Praxair will bring additional experience, support and infrastructure to ensure future success in the growing industrial gases market of southern Russia."

Praxair, Inc. is the largest industrial gases company in North and South America, and one of the largest worldwide, with 2012 sales of USD11 billion. The company produces, sells and distributes atmospheric, process and specialty gases, and high-performance surface coatings. Praxair products, services and technologies are making our planet more productive by bringing efficiency and environmental benefits to a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, chemicals, food and beverage, electronics, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, metals and others.
MRC