Shell Louisiana refinery hydrocracker back in production

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal Dutch Shell Plc brought the hydrocracker at its at its 209,787-barrel-per-day (bpd) Convent, Louisiana, refinery back into production after fixing a malfunction on Tuesday, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

Shell on Tuesday afternoon was raising the production level on the 45,000 bpd heavy oil hydrocracker called the H-Oil Unit after unplugging a valve that led Shell early on Tuesday to begin bringing the unit down, the sources said.

As MRC wrote before, in May 2018, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and Shell Nanhai B.V. (part of Shell) announced the official start-up of the second ethylene cracker at their Nanhai petrochemicals complex in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of polypropylene (PP) into Belarus increased to about 82,900 tonnes in first ten months of this year, up 5.6% year on year, compared to the same period of 2017. The greatest increase in imports accounted for homopolymer PP, according to MRC DataScope.

October PP imports into Belarus were about 7,600 tonnes, compared to 8,000 tonnes a month earlier, local companies reduced their purchasing of Russian propylene copolymers. Total PP imports into the country reached 82,900 tonnes in January - October, compared with 78,500 tonnes year on year. The demand for homopolymer PP increased, but demand for propylene copolymers decreased.

The structure of PP imports by grades looked the following way over the stated period.

October imports of homopolymer PP to the Belarusian market rose to 5,900 tonnes from 5,500 tonnes a month earlier, shipments of homopolymer PP from Russia increased. Overall imports of homopolymer PP reached 57,200 tonnes in the first ten months of 2018, up by 8.8% year on year. Russian producers with the share of about 89% of the total shipments were the key suppliers.

October imports of propylene copolymers to Belarus were 1,800 tonnes versus 2,500 tonnes a month earlier, local companies decreased their procurement of injection moulding statistical copolymers (PP random copolymers) in Russia. Total imports of propylene copolymers in the counrty reached 25,700 tonnes in January-October 2018, which practically corresponded to the last year's figure.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into Belarus decreased in the first ten months of 2018 by 0.7% year on year, totalling 28,300 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, local converters virtually maintained September PVC purchasing volumes - about 2,600 tonnes.

Thus, imports of unmixed PVC rose in the first ten months of 2018 to 28,300 tonnes from 28,500 tonnes a year earlier, with local windows producers accounting for a slight decrease in demand.

Russian producers with the share of about 88% of the Belarusian market were the key suppliers of resin to Belarus over the stated period. Producers from Ukraine and Germany with the share of 6% and 4% were the second and third largest suppliers, respectively.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sika has opened a new production plant in Central America, located in Palin in the metropolitan area of Guatemala City, as per the company's press-release.

This move further expands the company's market position in the emerging countries of the region. The portfolio of locally manufactured products includes concrete admixtures, mortars, and liquid applied membranes, which will be used to supply the neighboring countries of Honduras and El Salvador as well as the domestic market.

In Palin, Sika has invested in a state-of-the-art plant, and grouped together and expanded its existing business activities in the Guatemala City metropolitan area. New production lines at the site have been installed for mortars and acrylic liquid applied membranes, and existing production lines for concrete admixtures have been relocated and modernized. The new plant and supply center will result in a six-fold increase in overall capacity. The plant is remarkable thanks to the optimum production processes and the logistic efficiency it delivers. Its modular design means it can be enlarged when demand rises. With the integrated R&D laboratories and customer service center, as well as the distribution warehouse, and the expanded production lines, Sika will improve its customer service and the availability of its innovative product range in the region.

Christoph Ganz, Regional Manager Americas: "With the new site, we have created a strategic hub in the region for further expanding our business in Central America – which has around 36 million inhabitants. In particular, we also want to benefit from the planned investments in infrastructure and the transport sector, which will include new facilities for water supply and schools, as well as bridges and roads."
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to acquire a 49 percent stake in Asia-focused firm Cleantech Solar, the energy giant’s second investment in solar power this year, as per Reuters.

The Anglo-Dutch company will have an option to increase its holding in Cleantech after 2021. The deal is expected to close in January 2019.

Cleantech Solar develops, owns and operates commercial and industrial solar energy systems in Southeast Asia and India that have generated over 100 million megawatt hour units of electricity, it said in a statement.

In January, Shell acquired acquired a stake in U.S. solar company Silicon Ranch Corporation.
MRC