Ethanol-based fuel becomes top-selling petrol in France

MOSCOW (MRC) — Gasoline containing up to 10% of ethanol has become the top-selling petrol in France, its largest market in the European Union, helped by a tax break that made the crop-based fuel more attractive to drivers, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Sales of unleaded SP95-E10 accounted for 38.5% of total petrol sales in France in September, the Bioethanol Collective said in a statement. That compared with 36.8% for SP95 and 23.6% for the higher-quality SP98.

Over the first nine months of 2017, SP95-E10 was also ahead with a share of 38.2% versus 37.5% for SP95. The rise in demand for SP95-E10 in France contrasts with Germany where sales of E10 petrol fell last year despite a price advantage due to concern it is not suitable for all cars and with Britain where it has not yet been introduced.

Since its launch in 2009 in France, SP95-E10 has widened its network to more than one in two petrol stations in the country where it is 4 to 5 cents a liter cheaper than SP95 thanks to a tax incentive. Ethanol, made from grains or sugar in France, has also benefited from French drivers' distrust of diesel after Volkswagen's emissions test cheating scandal.

Registrations of petrol and diesel cars were nearly equal in France over the first 10 mos of the year in a setback for diesel whose market share was 8.6 percentage points ahead of petrol a year earlier, French carmakers' association CCFA said.

Demand for SP95-E10 in France was also boosted by an increase this year in the legal biofuel blending level in transport fuel to 7.5% overall from 7% previously. To meet this goal, fuel distributors were tempted to promote ethanol-rich and easy-to-use SP95-E10 instead of standard SP95 and SP98 which also contain ethanol but only up to 5%, or E85—with between 65% and 85% of ethanol—that requires specific engines or conversion kits.

Ethanol's expansion is being threatened by a proposed change in EU biofuel policy over concerns that biofuels could contribute to high food prices and indirectly cause deforestation. The EU executive has proposed cutting by nearly half the use of crop-based biofuels, which include ethanol, to a maximum 3.8% by 2030. The measure still needs to be approved by member states and lawmakers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SP Chemicals has undertaken a planned shutdown at its styrene monomer (SM) plant at Jiangsu, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company had commenced maintenance on November 6, 2017. The plant is expected to remain under maintenance for about 4 weeks.

Located at Taixing in Jiangsu province of China, the plant has a production capacity of 320,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, in mid-August 2016, another major Asian petrochemical producer - Shanghai Secco Petrochemical - took off-stream its SM plant for a four-week turnaround. Located in Shanghai, China, the plant has a production capacity of 650,000 mt/year.

SP Chemicals, a Singapore-based company is one of the largest ion-membrane chlor-alkali producer and aniline producer in the PRC. SP Chemicals engages in the manufacture and sale of the chemical industry's basic building blocks - caustic soda, chlorine, hydrogen and its related downstream products. The company's products include: aniline, caustic soda, chlorine, chlorobenzene, nitrochlorobenzene, nitrobenzene, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). To further drive its growth, SP Chemicals plans to invest approximately RMB1.1 billion in facilities for the production of styrene monomer, an intermediate raw chemical used in making polystyrene plastics, protective coatings, polyesters and resins.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — Sri Lanka's fuel shortage will end on Nov. 9, Petroleum Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said on Monday, as state-run oil retailer Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and Lanka IOC traded blame charges over the shortage, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Thousands of Sri Lankan motorists formed long queues for fuel for a fourth straight day on Monday after CPC limited the supply last week following a delayed fuel shipment and rejection of another due to the wrong specifications. Ranatunga said the next shipment of 40,000 mt of gasoline is expected on Wednesday and the shortage could be addressed on Thursday after immediate distribution.

"Once the shipment comes, the situation will return to normal," he told reporters in Colombo. The Nov. 8 shipment was originally expected to arrive last Thursday, but officials did not give any reason for the delay.

In a separate statement, the petroleum ministry said there was a request by LIOC, a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation to accept an initially rejected 35,000 mt cargo after filtration, but authorities did not accept it, "in the interest of the Sri Lankan consumers." CPC trade unions, which are not in favor of LIOC operations in Sri Lanka, said the Indian firm has forced CPC to accept the rejected shipment while keeping the vessel on the eastern coast.

LIOC, however, said a replacement cargo would have taken 25–30 days and its supplier offered to remove the particles via filtration process to enable expedited delivery by Nov. 3–4. "For reasons unknown to us, this proposal was not acceptable to CPC officials. Allegations of LIOC pressurized CPC to accept the original parcel without correction are totally false," it said.

The Indian firm also said the delay in CPC's shipment has "led to shortages of petrol across the country, particularly given that CPC caters to 84% of the Sri Lankan market." The petroleum ministry also said there was an interruption to the CPC's Sapugaskanda refinery operations due to electrical failure, which resulted in a production loss for three days.

Trade unions at CPC have blamed a government deal to handover 99 oil tanks in the island's eastern port city to LIOC for a lack of storage as the Indian firm is utilizing only 15 tanks and not allowing the CPC to use them for storage.

The current shortage also comes a month after LIOC said it would increase petrol prices because it was incurring a loss, though CPC said it would not raise prices. LIOC has not increased the price yet. Both have said they have been incurring losses on petrol sales.

Sri Lanka has agreed with India to jointly develop and operate all oil tanks in the oil storage facility located in Trincomalee near the world's second deepest natural harbor. IOC has agreed to build a second refinery with a capacity of at least 100,000 bpd in Sri Lanka, while Modi in 2015 pledged to establish a petroleum hub in Trincomalee.

A Lanka IOC official had told Reuters that due to trade union pressure CPC would be allowed to use 10 of the 84 tanks earmarked for the joint venture between the two companies.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay Performance Polyamides introduces the Technyl Blue range, a heat stabilized material family for automotive thermal management combining superior hydrolysis and thermal ageing performance in presence of aggressive coolants, according to the company's press release.

Built on the proven strengths of Technyl 34NG series, Technyl Blue is a wide range of products offering a 15 to 60 percent enhanced hydrolysis resistance versus standard polyamides 66 (PA66). It also includes a new compound which provides resistance to road salts used in low-temperature regions. Main immediate applications are radiator end tanks, oil filter housings/modules and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) heat exchangers.

"Engine parts manufactured from Technyl Blueresists hot glycol and de-icing salt attack under extreme conditions,"explained James Mitchell, Automotive Market Director for Solvay’s Performance Polyamides Global Business Unit. "Our new range also offers high flowability, excellent surface aspect and superior processability when compared to specialty polymers."

Major global automotive OEMs and Tier 1 already trust Technyl Blue and are currently evaluating these materials for highly demanding components such as active cooling valves and e-water pumps.

Solvay Performance Polyamides supports customers with a complete array of technical services designed to speed the time to market of new applications, from advanced material characterizationto application validation. This offering includes predictive simulation with MMI Technyl Design1, 3D printing of PA6-based functional prototypes in Sinterline PA6 powders as well as part testing at fully equipped APT Technyl Validation centers.

As MRC informed before, in early July 2016, Solvay completed the divestment of its shareholding in Inovyn (London), bringing to an end Solvay's chlorvinyls joint venture with Ineos. Solvay received exit cash proceeds amounting to EUR335 million (USD370.7 million). The dissolution of the jv follows regulatory clearances from the relevant authorities.

Inovyn was formed on 1 July 2015 as a jv between Ineos and SolVin, a subsidiary of Solvay. Solvay and Ineos signaled their decision to end their chlorvinyls jv in March this year.

Solvay, with a market share 27%, is the second largest PVC manufacturer in Europe, after Kerling with 29% of the market. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with about 30,900 employees spread across 53 countries. It generated pro forma net sales of EUR12.4 bn in 2015, with 90% made from activities where it ranks among the world’s top 3 players.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Poliom (JV of Titan, SIBUR and Gazprom Neft) resumed its polypropylene (PP) production after a scheduled maintenance, reported MRC analysts.

Yesterday, on 7 November, Poliom resumed operations at its PP production after a short planned turnaround. As the plant's customers' said the outage began on 26 October.

This is virtually the last scheduled maintenance at Russian PP producers this year. In late October, Stavrolen resumed its PP production after a long shutdown for a turnaround.

As MRC reported earlier, Poliom produced about 161,000 tonnes of PP in the first nine months of 2017, whereas the plant manufactured 202,900 tonnes of PP for the whole last year.

Poliom Ltd., a JV of Gazprom Neft JV, SIBUR and Titan, which was established in 2005, is one of the three leaders of Russian polypropylene (PP) producers. The plant, which started operation on 9 February, 2013, was built using Basell technology, with Tecnimont being the supplier of technological equipment. It can produce 98 different grades of PP (homo-, stat-, block copolymers). Poliom's production capacity is 210,000 tonnes of PP per year.
MRC