MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in Russia decreased by 3% in the first six months of 2014.
Production growth at Bashkir Soda Company and Kaustik (Volgograd) could not offset the full stop at SIBUR-Neftekhim, according to a survey ScanPlast MRC.
June production of virgin PVC in Russia was 53,200 tonnes, compared with 53,600 tonnes in May. Total PVC output in Russia decreased to 319,500 tonnes in January - June 2014, compared with 327,800 tonnes in the same time a year earlier. A higher level of capacity utilisation at Bashkir Soda Company and Kaustik Volgograd did fully compensated the stop of PVC production at SIBUR-Neftekhim.
SayanskKhimPlast, the largest PVC producer in Russia, increased its capacity utilisation in June, PVC production rose 27,300 tonnes in June, compared with 25,600 tonnes in May. The producer's PVC production decreased to 152,100 tonnes in the first half of 2014, compared with 154,200 tonnes year on year.
Bashkir Soda Company (formerly Caustic (Sterlitamak) increased its PVC production to 19,100 tonnes in June, compared with 18,200 tonnes in May. The producer increased suspension PVC (SPVC) output to 113,100 tonnes in January - June 2014, up 6% year on year.
Kaustik (Volgograd) produced about 8,000 tonnes of SPVC in June, compared with 8,400 tonnes in May. The producer increased its SPVC production to 48,000 tonnes in the first six months of the year, compared with 47,200 tonnes year on year.
The only emulsion polyvinyl chloride (EPVC) producer in Russia Khimprom (Volgograd) increased capacity utilisation last month; the production volumes of EPVC rose to 1,700 tonnes in June, compared with 1,400 tonnes in May. Total EPVC production by the producer increased to 9,200 tonnes in the first six months of the year, up 1% year on year.
As it was already mentioned, SIBUR-Neftekhim (Nizhny Novgorod region) completely shut all its chlorine production in April 2013.
RusVinil, a joint project of SIBUR and SolVin, is planned to start 300,000 tonnes/year SPVC and 30,000 tonnes/year EPVC production in the near future.
MRC