MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of polyethylene (PE) in Russia increased by 11% in the first three months of the year compared to the same period of 2015 and reached 429,400 tonnes, according to MRC ScanPlast.
March PE production in Russia increased to 144,200 tonnes, while in February it was about 141,000 tonnes. The growth in production volumes provided producers of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE). Total PE production in Russia reached 429,400 tonnes against 387,300 tonnes year on year. Such a serious increase in production resulted from low inventories in 2015, in particular, Stavrolen shut production of high density polyethylene (HDPE) from February 2014 to April 2015.
Structure of PE production over the reported period looked as follows.
March HDPE production increased 81,200 tonnes, compared with 76,700 tonnes in February 2015. Nizhnekamskneftekhim - the third-largest PE producer in the country also increased HDPE production volumes; the producer switched to linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) production in February. Russia's production of HDPE increased to 244,200 tonnes in Jan-Mar, compared with 213,300 tonnes year on year.
March LDPE production in Russia was about 55,300 tonnes, while in February it exceeded 49,200 tonnes. Tomskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez increased their capacity utilisation. Total LDPE production in Russia was 162,500 tonnes in Jan-Mar 2016 against 174,000 tonnes year on year.
Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced about 22,600 tonnes of LLDPE in January-March 2016. Russian producers did not produce LLDPE in Jan-Mar 2015.
MRC