PE production in Belarus dropped by 2% in Jan-May 2018

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Belarus's overall production of low density polyethylene (LDPE) totalled 25,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2018, down by 2% year on year, reported MRC analysts.

According to the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the local LDPE producer - Polymir - shut down its production capacities for maintenance in May. Therefore, May polyethylene (PE) output was 3,400 tonnes, compared to 5,400 tonnes a month earlier. Thus, Polymir's total LDPE production was almost 25,400 tonnes in January-May 2018, compared to 25,800 tonnes a year earlier.

As reported earlier, Polymir shut down its LDPE production for a scheduled overhaul from 5 May to 20 May.


The Belarusian producer also plans to resume some of its ethylene production capacities in August after the forced outage because of fire, which took place in June 2016. When the ethylene unit achieves 100% capacity utilisation, LDPE production capacities will also reach the nominal level of its capacity utilisation.

Polymir (part of Naftan) is Belarus' largest petrochemical company, producing a wide range of chemical products, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), acrylic fibers, products of organic synthesis, hydrocarbon fractions, etc. Polymir was founded in 1968. The producer uses technologies of the largest foreign companies from Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy (Courtaulds, Asahi Chemical Co. Ltd, Kanematsu Gosho, SNIA BPD, etc.), as well as the developments of scientific research institutes and design institutes of the CIS countries. The plant's annual production capacity is 130,000 tonnes.

MRC

Some French petrol stations run dry as farmer blockade continues

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Oil and gas major Total said that 3.5 percent of its petrol stations in France had run out of fuel on the second day of a blockade of refineries and fuel depots by farmers that has disrupted distribution, reported Reuters.

Farmers are protesting against France's decision to allow Total to use imported palm oil at a biofuel plant, which would compete with biodiesel made from locally produced oilseed crops, further souring relations between the EU's biggest farm sector and the government of President Emmanuel Macron.

The blockade now concerned a total of 18 refineries and depots across France, and would continue until the farm minister agreed to some of the farmers' demands, said the FNSEA, the country's largest farm union, which is organizing the protests.

"It is really an alarm call that 3,000 farmers on 18 blocked sites have sent out to say, please listen to us and take up this message at a European level," FNSEA President Christiane Lambert said after meeting Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert.

"The negotiation is not over, we do not have what we want. But by mutual agreement we decided to meet again at the end of the day to move forward on our claims," she added.

Total, which operates 2,200 petrol stations and five of France's seven refineries and nine depots, said the depots and four refineries were still blocked. The refineries were still operating.

"There are some difficulties in supplying petrol stations particularly in Paris and the Ile-de-France region," a Total spokesman said.

Total had urged customers not to rush to petrol stations to fill their tanks, which could spark panic buying and shortages.

French authorities last month gave Total permission to use palm oil as a feedstock at its La Mede biofuel refinery in southern France, infuriating farmers who grow crops such as rapeseed. Environmentalists also blame palm oil cultivation for deforestation in southeast Asia.

Total argues its plans call for using less palm oil than allowed by the authorities, offer an outlet for 50,000 tonnes of locally produced rapeseed and will develop large-scale recycling of used oil and fat.

But Lambert said 50,000 tonnes was "not enough" and that the price needed to be based on producers' costs, not on palm oil prices.

"As long as we are not successful ... we will remain on the blockades," the head of France's young farmers group JA, Jeremy Decerle, said.

As MRC informed before, in December 2017, Total inaugurated the new units at its Antwerp integrated refining & petrochemicals platform, which had progressively started up in the last few months of 2017.

Total S.A. is a French multinational oil and gas company and one of the six "Supermajor" oil companies in the world with business in Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Asia. The company's petrochemical products cover two main groups: base chemicals and the consumer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene) that are derived from them.
MRC

Sinopec Tianjin refinery on track to produce 120,000 T ethanol gasoline a month

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec said its Tianjin refinery will be able to produce 120,000 tonnes of ethanol gasoline per month by October 1, a deadline for the city to replace traditional fuel with biofuel, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Tianjin plans to use gasoline with added ethanol in most vehicles by the end of September.

Sinopec Tianjin will to ready to produce ethanol fuel to supply to the city by July 1 and its capacity is able to meet the city’s demand, the company said in a statement.

Tianjin is expected to use 260,000 tonnes of ethanol each year, the city government said.
MRC

PS plant to be brought on-stream by DFE Chemical

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DFE Chemical is likely to restart its polystyrene (PS) plant following an unplanned shutdown, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in the Philippines informed that the company is expected to restart production in the second half of June 2018. The plant was shut owing to shortage of feedstock in second half of May 2018.

Located in Manila, the Philippines, the plant has a production capacity of 30,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote before, on 2 April 2018, DFE Chemical restarted its PS plant in Manila following a maintenance turnaround. The plant was shut for maintenance in mid-December 2017.
MRC

Some French petrol stations run dry as farmer blockade continues

MOSCOW (MRC) - Oil and gas major Total said that 3.5 percent of its petrol stations in France had run out of fuel on the second day of a blockade of refineries and fuel depots by farmers that has disrupted distribution, as per Reuters.

Farmers are protesting against France's decision to allow Total to use imported palm oil at a biofuel plant, which would compete with biodiesel made from locally produced oilseed crops, further souring relations between the EU's biggest farm sector and the government of President Emmanuel Macron.

The blockade now concerned a total of 18 refineries and depots across France, and would continue until the farm minister agreed to some of the farmers' demands, said the FNSEA, the country's largest farm union, which is organizing the protests.

"It is really an alarm call that 3,000 farmers on 18 blocked sites have sent out to say, please listen to us and take up this message at a European level," FNSEA President Christiane Lambert said after meeting Agriculture Minister Stephane Travert.

"The negotiation is not over, we do not have what we want. But by mutual agreement we decided to meet again at the end of the day to move forward on our claims," she added.

Total, which operates 2,200 petrol stations and five of France's seven refineries and nine depots, said the depots and four refineries were still blocked. The refineries were still operating.

"There are some difficulties in supplying petrol stations particularly in Paris and the Ile-de-France region," a Total spokesman said.
MRC