China sets 2018 non-state crude oil import quota 55% higher than 2017

MOSCOW (MRC) — China has raised its 2018 crude oil import quota for "non-state trade," generally meaning independent refiners, by 55% over 2017, raising the clout of the independents in the global market after a setback this year, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The move took market participants by surprise after Beijing cut the quotas to independents for 2017. The annual quota setting, announced earlier than usual, is a sign the government is relaxing its policies towards the independent refiners after the cuts and after banning them from exporting fuel this year.

The Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday companies can start applying for quotas for 2018 totaling 142.42 MMt, or about 2.85 MMbpd, up from 91.73 MMt for 2017. The ministry did not provide a detailed breakdown of quota recipients, but they should include mostly independent refiners, which in 2017 made up around two-thirds of the total.

The announcement follows a recent state media report that China's increasingly influential independent refineries have sought changes to oil quota polices to help them plan procurement and production in advance. Quotas for some of these independents, also known as "teapots," were cut by nearly 17% in 2017 versus 2016 because they under-used the earlier permits.

"Teapots like us may get a bit more quota next year after Commerce Ministry cut back our volumes in 2017," said a procurement manager with Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical Co, a teapot based in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, home to a number of the independent plants.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — Enerkem Inc., a waste-to-biofuels and renewable chemicals producer, announced it has received approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to sell cellulosic ethanol produced at its Edmonton, AB, Canada facility under the US renewable fuels standard (RFS), said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Enerkem's state-of-the-art advanced biofuels facility has successfully completed all the necessary steps required by the EPA and is the first ever municipal waste-to-cellulosic ethanol plant to receive approval to sell in the US. Under the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, 16 Bgal of cellulosic biofuels are to be blended in the conventional transportation fuel pool by 2022.

Enerkem is now registered for D3 Renewable identification numbers (RINs) credits. These RIN credits are purchased by US refiners to comply with the US RFS program. The EPA has established that cellulosic biofuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% when compared to gasoline.

Earlier this year, Enerkem expanded its Edmonton biofuel facility to produce some 13 MMgal of cellulosic ethanol annually following the commissioning of its methanol-to-ethanol conversion unit. This pioneering facility has been financed by private sources and received funding support from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), Alberta Innovates and Alberta Energy.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Thai oil refiner IRPC Pcl's net profit more than doubled in the third quarter as the subsidiary of energy giant PTT Group benefited from rising oil prices and higher margins on its chemical products, reported Reuters.

Temporary shutdowns at US refineries after hurricanes on the East Coast and regional maintenance shutdowns also pushed product prices higher, the company said in a statement.

Its net profit surged 149% in July-September from a year earlier to 3.25 B baht (USD98 MM), beating a forecast of 2.56 B baht in a Reuters survey of four analysts and helped by 1.1 B baht in gains on its oil stocks as oil prices improved.

Net sales surged 26% to 52.3 B baht and average product prices increased 4%, while its average profit margin was 5.73%, up from 2.86% a year ago.

Market gross refining margins (GRM), or the difference between the price of crude oil and the value of products was at USD15.05/bbl, up USD2.55 from the same period last year on better petroleum and petrochemical product spreads.

IRPC, a PTT Plc subsidiary, booked a total market GRM of 9.3 B baht, up from 7.1 B baht a year earlier.

It said it expects oil prices to be in the range of USD52/bbl-USD58/bbl in the next quarter.

As MRC informed before, on 3 February, 2017, IRPC took its cracker off-stream for a maintenance turnaround. Located at Map Ta Phut in Thailand, the cracker has an ethylene capacity of 360,000 mt/year and propylene capacity of 312,000 mt/year.

PTT Global Chemical is a leading player in the petrochemical industry and owns several petrochemical facilities with a combined capacity of 8.45 million tonnes a year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — Imports of Iranian crude by major buyers in Asia rose in September for a third straight month to their highest since March, boosted by a surge in purchases in China and South Korea, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

China, India, South Korea and Japan imported slightly more than 1.9 MMbpd last month, up 5.1% from a year earlier, government and ship-tracking data showed. Their imports rose nearly 20% from August.

Still, purchases from the Asian buyers remain below highs that were hit earlier this year and last year as Tehran ramped up exports following the lifting of economic sanctions, after it had agreed to constraints on its disputed nuclear program.

Imports by the Asian buyers, which take the bulk of Iran's oil exports, are likely to fall in coming weeks as shipments bound for the region have dropped below 1.5 MMbpd for October, a person with knowledge of the Middle Eastern nation's tanker loading schedules told Reuters.

Chinese imports from Iran in September rose nearly 60% from a year ago to about 784,000 bpd, down from August when China imported the highest monthly amount since 2006, according to data on Reuters Eikon. South Korea's imports rose by nearly a quarter to just over 504,000 bpd, a five-month high. India's imports fell by a third to 415,400 bpd.

Imports to Japan, which announced official figures on Tuesday, were down by more than 30% at a bit less than 216,000 bpd.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Poland’s state-run refiner, Lotos, got its first shipment of crude oil from the United States on Thursday, part of its wider plan to diversify oil supplies and reduce reliance on Russian deliveries, reported Reuters.

The tanker carrying 600,000 bbl of domestic sweet crude, equivalent to around 80,000 t, departed from Freeport, Texas, on Oct. 19 and arrived in the Polish city of Gdansk on Thursday, Lotos said.

As MRC informed before, in early September 2017, Lotos, Poland’s second biggest oil refiner, said that it had received its first crude oil cargo from Canada. The cargo of 100,000 t, equivalent to almost 700,000 bbl of Canadian Hibernia oil, arrived in Poland on 3 September aboard the Minerva Lisa tanker, Lotos said.

State-run Lotos, like bigger rival PKN Orlen, refines mostly Russian oil but is aiming to diversify its supplies. Currently around 25% of the oil it refines comes from sources other than Russia.
MRC