PP imports to Russia decreased by 23% in the first eleven months 2013

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polypropylene (PP) to Russia decreased by 23% in the first eleven months of 2013, compared with the same period last year to 196,200 tonnes, as per MRC DataScope report.

Russia's imports of PP decreased because of the launch of two new plants in Omsk and Tobolsk, with total capacity of 680,000 tonnes/year, which resulted in a significant growth in PP production volumes in Russia. Following October decrease, Russia's PP imports grew to 19,400 tonnes in November.

Structure of Russia's PP imports looked as follows. Imports of homopolymer PP increased to 9,600 tonnes in November, compared with 3,000 tonnes in October, helped by the resumption of supply of homopolymer PP from Turkmenistan. Total imports of homopolymer PP to Russia decreased to 77,000 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, compared with 129,000 tonnes in the same period in 2012.

Russia's imports of PP block copolymer was about 4,800 tonnes in November, compared with 4,300 tonnes in October. Total imports of PP block copolymer to Russia increased 52,000 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, from 50,500 tonnes year on year on the back of increased demand in the sector of injection moulding.

Imports of PP random copolymer dropped to 2,600 tonnes in November, from 3,900 tonnes in October. Total imports of PP random copolymer to Russia decreased to 35,300 tonnes from January to November of the current year, from because of an increase in domestic production of injection moulding and pipe copolymers.

Imports of other propylene polymers decreased to 2,400 tonnes in November, from 3,000 tonnes in October. Total supply of other propylene polymers to Russia was about 32,000 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2013, from 29,300 tonnes year on year.

As reported previously, On 11 February, Polyom of the Titan group launched a PP production plant with a capacity of 180,000 tonnes/year.
The company uses the technology of LyondellBasell. Tobolsk-Polymer (SIBUR group) started its 500,000 tonnes/year PP production in the test mode in late May, using the technology of company INEOS.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Total production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) to Russia increased by 42% in the eleven months of 2013, compared with the same period last year and was 918,200 tonnes. Stavrolen and Gazprom neftekhim Salavat showed the greatest increase in PP production over the reported period, as per MRC DataScope.

Structure of PP production looked as follows. Stavrolen increased its capacity utilisation of HDPE output by 15% in November to 27,500 tonnes, compared with October, when the plant stopped its capacities.

Total HDPE production by Stavrolen was about 280,700 tonnes in January - November of the current year. Gazprom neftekhim Salavat, on the contrary, reduced the HDPE production in November to 5,500 tonnes. The producer increased HDPE production to 64,700 tonnes in the eleven months of 2013, from 41,000 tonnes year on year.

Kazanorgsintez (subsidiary of Taif) loaded its capacities by 100% in November, having produced 45,000 tonnes. Total HDPE output at the company increased to 422,600 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, from 401,300 tonnes year on year.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim (subsidiary of Taif) focused on the production of linear PE and HDPE for extrusion coating of large diameter steel pipes in October and November, focused on the production of LLDPE and HDPE for extrusion coating of large diameter steel pipes. Total production of HDPE by the producer exceeded 150,000 tonnes in the first eleven months of the year, compared to 156,000 tonnes year on year.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The plan by Taiwan's Kuokuang Petrochemical Technology Co. to abandon the refining and petrochem complex at Johor in Malaysia could result in a losses to Malaysia, as per Plastemart.

Almost 40 bln ringgits (USD12.39 bln) in investment will be lost from the project, as reported by CNA.

As MRC wrote before, originally, Kuokuang was to set up an integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Pengerang in the Malaysian state of Johor, but the project was scrapped after they received information hinting at an unfriendly investment environment in Malaysia. Then, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in May 2012 that Malaysia would work with Kuokuang to launch a project in the country.

CPC is Kuokuang's largest stakeholder with 43%, with the rest held by other private Taiwanese companies. Titled KPTC Malaysia Integrated Refinery and Petrochemical Development, or KPTC-MIRPD, the project was to have included a 150,000 bpd refinery, with development slated to begin by next year and startup scheduled for early 2018. It was also expected to have the capacity to produce 800,000 m tpa of ethylene and 425,480 m tpa of propylene.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China’s Xianglu Petrochemicals Co. Ltd. has planned the test run of its second purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant in the end of December 2013, reported Plastemart.

"Currently, the plant is under the final phase of construction and test run is planned by the end of next month," a company official told.

Located in the South Haicang Industrial Area of Xiamen City, the first PTA plant of Xianglu came on stream in October 2002. The plant is capable of producing 900,000 tpa of PTA, which is the world’s largest single-line PTA production capacity.

The construction of second PTA plant, with production capacity of 1.5 mln tpa, began in November 2006, and is now about to be completed.

As MRC informed previously, in May 2013, Xianglu Petrochemical also announced its plans to start a new purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plant located at Fujian province, China, by the end of the third quarter. The 4.5 mln tpa PTA plant is being set up at an estimated investment of USD400 mln.

Xianglu Petrochemicals (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. produces petrochemicals. It offers terephthalic acid products. The company was founded in 2003 and is based in Xiamen, China.
mrpclast.com

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine increased by 50% in January-November 2013, according to MRC DataScope.

SPVC imports to Ukraine exceeded 130,000 tonnes over eleven months of the year, while in the same period of 2012 this figure was 87,000 tonnes.

Resumption of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production at Karpatneftekhim (part of LUKOIL Group) has not led to lower imports. November SPVC imports totalled about 12,700 tonnes.

US producers remained the key suppliers of SPVC to Ukraine. The overall imports of North American PVC grew to 67,800 tonnes in January-November 2013 from 56,000 tonnes a year earlier. US producers account for more than 50% of total imports this year.

PVC supplies from Europe totalled slightly over 60,000 tonnes in eleven months of the year, while in the same period of 2012 this figure was 53,300 tonnes. The key suppliers of resin are producers from Hungary and Poland.

As reported earlier, Karpatneftekhim resumed its PVC production on 7 November after a long outage. The plant's PVC output exceeded 7,200 tonnes for less than a month. The plant's annual capacity is 300,000 tonnes.

MRC