PRTC to launch several catalyst plants by 2020

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The CEO of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company (PRTC) said the company was planning to inaugurate five catalyst production plants by the next two years, as per NIPNA.

Catalysts are regarded as strategic items which have wide usage in petrochemical operations.

In a meeting with the CEO of National Petrochemical Company (NPC), Ali Pajouhan, PRTC CEO, said the company had signed 13 deals for commercialization of products which also included catalyst production deals.

He revered eye-catching support of NPC for PRTC and protectionism, adding PRTC achievements were applied and functional in the industry but took some time to become profitable.
The official further added that PRTC was planning to launch 5 catalyst production plants which would come on-stream by the next two years.

EHRAN (NIPNA) -- The CEO of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company (PRTC) said the company was planning to inaugurate five catalyst production plants by the next two years.
Catalysts are regarded as strategic items which have wide usage in petrochemical operations.

In a meeting with the CEO of National Petrochemical Company (NPC), Ali Pajouhan, PRTC CEO, said the company had signed 13 deals for commercialization of products which also included catalyst production deals.

He revered eye-catching support of NPC for PRTC and protectionism, adding PRTC achievements were applied and functional in the industry but took some time to become profitable.
The official further added that PRTC was planning to launch 5 catalyst production plants which would come on-stream by the next two years.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Port Arthur LNG, LLC, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, and the Polish Oil & Gas Company (PGNiG) announced they have entered into a definitive 20-year sale-and-purchase agreement for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Port Arthur LNG liquefaction-export facility under development in Jefferson County, Texas, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Today's announcement is an important milestone as Sempra Energy pursues its long-term goal of exporting 45 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of North American LNG. "This agreement marks an important step toward Poland's energy independence and security," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. "As demonstrated with the launch of the Strategic Dialogue on Energy in Poland last month, the Trump Administration remains committed to increasing energy diversity, advancing energy security, strengthening national security, and creating a future of prosperity and opportunity in Poland and throughout the region."

"This agreement with PGNiG represents an important expansion of our portfolio of contracts for LNG exports and major step forward in the development of our Port Arthur LNG project," said Jeffrey W. Martin, chairman and CEO of Sempra Energy. "Last month, we began the commissioning phase of our Cameron LNG liquefaction-export facility in Louisiana. This agreement, along with the great progress on Cameron LNG, continue to validate our growth strategy as we advance our vision to become North America's premier energy infrastructure company."

"Our activities show that we consistently implement our strategy," said Piotr Wozniak, president of the management board of PGNiG. "Another long-term contract not only allows us to develop LNG portfolio with a view to delivering to Poland, but it gives us, in the near future, the possibility of trading in LNG purchased on a global scale. I am glad that Sempra Energy is among our American partners. I am convinced that we will have good long-term cooperation."

While financial terms were not disclosed, the agreement is for the sale and purchase of 2 Mtpa, or approximately 2.7 billion cubic meters per year (after regasification) – enough natural gas to meet about 15 percent of Poland's daily needs. The agreement is subject to certain conditions precedent, including Port Arthur LNG making a final investment decision.

Under the agreement, LNG purchases from Port Arthur LNG will be made on a Free-On-Board basis, with PGNiG responsible for shipping the LNG from the Port Arthur terminal to the final destination. Port Arthur LNG will manage gas pipeline transportation, liquefaction processing and cargo loading, giving PGNiG flexibility in cargo management. PGNiG plans to deliver cargos to domestic customers in Poland or trade LNG on the global market, once operations commence.

In addition to the PGNiG agreement, Sempra Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korea Gas Corporation last year for potential participation in the Port Arthur LNG project. Sempra Energy has partnered with Mitsubishi, Mitsui & Co. LTD. and Total S.A. on the construction of the Cameron LNG liquefaction-export project in Hackberry, La. The first phase of this project is currently being commissioned and with the expectation that LNG will be produced from all three liquefaction trains in 2019.

Sempra Energy also has an MOU with Total, S.A. for some export capacity at Cameron LNG Phase 2 and Heads of Agreements (HOAs) with Mitsui & Co. LTD., Tokyo Gas Company and Total, S.A. for all of the export capacity at Energia Costa Azul Phase 1 in Baja California, Mexico. An MOU and HOA define terms and conditions of contracts to be negotiated and do not commit any party to enter into a definitive agreement.

The Port Arthur liquefaction-export facility is proposed to include two natural gas liquefaction trains capable of processing approximately 11 Mtpa of LNG; up to three LNG storage tanks; two marine berths, and associated facilities. The Port Arthur liquefaction-export facility is scheduled to receive its final environmental impact statement from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission next month. Earlier this year, Bechtel was selected by Port Arthur LNG to serve as the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning contractor for the facility, subject to reaching a definitive agreement.

Development of the Port Arthur LNG liquefaction facility is contingent upon obtaining additional customer commitments, completing the required commercial agreements, securing all necessary permits, obtaining financing, incentives and other factors, and reaching a final investment decision.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. (BPCL) has received approval from its board of directors to establish facilities for the production of polyols, propylene glycol (PG) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) in Kochi, India, according to Apic-online.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 11,130 crore, will be located at the company's Kochi Refinery, where its refining capacity is currently being expanded to 15.5-million t/y from 9.5-million t/y. No other details were available.

BPCL is also establishing its new Propylene Deriva-tives Petrochemical Project (PDPP) at Kochi, which in-volves the production of acrylic acid acrylates and oxo alcohols. Production is scheduled to begin during fiscal 2018-2019.

The expanded Kochi refinery is expected to supply polymer-grade propylene to the PDPP.

As MRC informed before, in early November 2017, BPCL ramped up the operating rate of its Kochi oil refinery after completing an expansion at the plant in southern India, reported Reuters then with reference to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. The refinery was running then at about 13 MMtpy, or about 260,000 bpd, up from its original capacity of 9.5 MMtpy, one of the sources said. BPCL planed to gradually ramp up Kochi to its new capacity of 15.5 MMtpy, he added, without giving a timeline.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wacker is to collaborate with Dynaplak, the Dutch manufacturer of biobased raw materials for agricultural and industrial applications, said the producer on its site.

Together, the two companies want to develop hybrid binders based on starch and polymers. The first products for interior wall paints are scheduled for market launch in the first quarter of 2019. Wacker is thereby responding to the growing demand for sustainable binders in the paint and coatings industry.

"Our partnership with Dynaplak lays the foundations for increasing our contribution to more sustainability in the binders market. We will be one of the first chemical companies to expand our portfolio with products based partially on renewable raw materials," explains Dominique Nely, who manages WACKER's binders for consumer goods and industrial applications in western Europe. "In the first phase, we will focus on interior paints - where demand for ecological alternatives to petroleum-based binders is growing strongly."

Dynaplak’s biobased technology together with Wacker’s decades of experience in manufacturing polymer-based binders will result in hybrid starch and polymer-based binders. The starch is a side-stream product from potato processing. Koos Slor, managing director of Dynaplak, says: "In our production process, we utilize starch that would otherwise be lost. Our innovative technology increases the functionality of conventional starch, enhancing its performance." In an emulsified form, starch reveals its properties and helps to tie together components of a paint, such as pigments and fillers. "By partnering with WACKER, our sustainable products will also be available to customers from the paints and coatings industry," Slor continues.

In technical terms, hybrid binders meet the high-quality standards for WACKER products. "We want to act in an ecologically responsible way, while continuing to offer our customers outstanding product quality," explains Nely. The new binders will be manufactured at the Dynaplak site in Veendam in the Netherlands and are part of Wacker's new VINNECO line. It will present the first products from this line at the European Coatings Show 2019.

As MRC wrote previously, in November 2017, Wacker Chemie AG announced that it is expanding its existing production plants for dispersions and dispersible polymer powders in South Korea. The Group is building a new spray dryer for dispersible polymer powders at its Ulsan site, which will have a total capacity of 80,000 metric tons per year. The Munich-based chemicals company is also constructing an additional reactor for dispersions based on vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (EVA), which are needed as the raw material for the spray dryer to produce dispersible polymer powders. Ulsan’s plant complex, which covers the entire production chain from VAE dispersions to dispersible polymer powders, will be one of the largest of its kind in the world. Investments will total around EUR60 million and production is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2019.

Dynaplak is an innovative Dutch developer and manufacturer of biobased product solutions with an extensive track record in agricultural and industrial applications. Dynaplak creates new biobased high-performance alternatives for traditional petrochemical based products, thereby providing the marked with sustainable choices.

Wacker Chemie AG is a worldwide operating company in the chemical business, founded 1914. The company is controlled by the Wacker-family holding more than 50 percent of the shares. The corporation is operating more than 25 production sites in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The product range includes silicone rubbers, polymer products like ethylene vinyl acetate redispersible polymer powder, chemical materials, polysilicon and wafers for semiconductor industry.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Russia's overall production of polypropylene (PP) fell in January-November 2018 by 2.6% year on year, totalling about 1.239,800 mln tonnes. At the same time, only two Russian producers from seven ones decreased their PP output, according to MRC ScanPlast report.

November output of polypropylene by local producers increased to 91,100 tonnes compared with 75,700 tonnes in October, at the same time problems at some plants remained. Russia's overall PP production reached 1.239,800 mln tonnes in the first eleven months of 2018, compared to 1 273,400 mln tonnes a year earlier. At the same time, only SIBUR Tobolsk and Ufaorgsintez reduced the operating time, while other producers managed to improve their output.

The structure of PP production by plants looked the following way over the stated period.

Sibur Tobolsk had to cut capacity utilisation in November due to the problems with propylene, total polypropylene production reached 18,700 tonnes against 8,400 tonnes in October. The Tobolsk plant's total PP production reached 389,400 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2018, down by 16% year on year. The decline in production was a result of two shutdowns for scheduled maintenances this year.

Omsk Poliom (Titan) in November produced about 17,600 tonnes compared to 11,600 tonnes a month earlier; the plant shut PP production capacities 10 days turnaround in the early October. Total PP production at the plant over the reported period was about 195,200 tonnes, up 4% year on year.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced 17,800 tonnes of propylene polymers in November versus 18,800 tonnes a month earlier. The producer's PP output increased to 197,300 tonnes in January-November 2018 compared with 193,300 tonnes year on year.

Tomskneftekhim last month produced about 12,400 tonnes against 12,800 tonnes a month earlier. The plant in the ten months 2018 produced 128,900 tonnes, practically the same as in 2017.


Ufaorgsintez's PP output increased to about 9,700 tonnes in November from 3,500 tonnes a month earlier, the producer shut down its production capacities for a month long turnaround on 20 September and in the early November due to the problems with the feedstock.
Overall output of polymer at the Ufa plant rose to 107,900 tonnes in January-November 2018, compared to 113,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Neftekhimiya (Kapotnya) last month produced about 10,200 tonnes of PP, compared with 11,900 tonnes in October. The plant's overall PP output reached 121,200 tonnes over the stated period, up 28% year on year. A low indicator of the current year was a result of a long scheduled maintenance works in March-April.

Stavrolen (LUKOIL) last month shut its capacity utilisation for a short maintenance works in November, total polypropylene production had dropped to 7,600 tonnes against 8,700 tonnes in October. Overall production of propylene polymers at the Budenovsk plant reached 99,900 tonnes in the first ten months of 2018 against 92,300 tonnes year on year.

MRC