SOCAR completes integration of STAR refinery and Petkim

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Turkish subsidiary of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR has completed the integration of STAR refinery and Petkim petrochemical complex, Trend reports citing SOCAR Turkey Energy, as per Azernews.

"By selling 1.303 tons of naphtha produced at STAR refinery to Petkim, SOCAR Turkey Energy completed the integration of the refinery and the petrochemical complex. This sale has been an important step towards the integration," said the company.

The opening ceremony of the STAR oil refinery took place on October 19, 2018 in Izmir, Turkey.

The total refining capacity of the refinery will be 10 million tons, and Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR is the main supplier of crude for the refinery. The refinery will significantly reduce the dependence of Turkey on imports of petrochemical products.

The refinery worth USD6.3 billion, built by SOCAR in the Aliaga District of Izmir, will produce 1.6 million tons of naphtha, 1.6 million tons of aviation fuel, 4.8 million tons of low-sulfur diesel, 700,000 tons of petroleum coke, 420,000 tons of mixed xylene and 160,000 tons of sulfur.

SOCAR is represented in Turkey by its subsidiary SOCAR Turkey Energy. So far, SOCAR Turkey Energy has invested over USD14 billion in the Turkish economy. Meanwhile, 5,000 people work in the company, while the annual export potential reaches USD3 billion. Among SOCAR’s current assets in Turkey are the Petkim petrochemical complex, the STAR refinery and the Petlim port.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global specialty materials company, declared a quarterly dividend of $0.54 per share on its common stock, payable on March 1, 2019, as per the company's press release.

The dividend is payable to stockholders of record as of February 19, 2019.

As MRC reported earlier, Celanese Corporation has raised its February list and off-list selling prices for Vinyl Acetate Monomer (VAM) sold in Asia Outside China (AOC). The price increase below was effective as of 31 January, or as contracts otherwise allow, and was incremental to any previously announced increases. Thus, Celanese raised VAM list and off-list selling prices by USD50/mt for AOC.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Celanese employs approximately 7,600 employees worldwide and had 2017 net sales of USD6.1 billion.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- The United States has asked Brazil to consider lifting tariffs imposed on its ethanol exports and is hopeful of a positive outcome, reported Reuters with reference to a senior official at the US Department of Agriculture.

US Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Ted McKinney said Brazil has not indicated that they would lift them. "Our hope is that the warm relationship between our presidents and how that cascades down might let us find some relief," he told a conference call.

Brazil currently charges a 20-percent tariff on ethanol imports surpassing 150 million liters a quarter in a bid to shield local farmers from foreign competition.

McKinney said Brazil had previously said it would reassess the tariffs two years from the September 2017 date on which they were imposed. “You can imagine there’s always run-ups to that. Nobody said it is a hard date and that’s another reason we are having a discussion,” he said.

As MRC wrote previously, in February 2018, a significant new player emerged in the Brazilian biofuels industry. A grand opening was held signaling the start of operations at FS Bioenergia, a USD115 million corn-only ethanol production facility located in Lucas do Rio Verde, Mato Grosso. FS Bioenergia utilized process technologies from ICM, Inc. of Colwich, Kansas. Since 1995, ICM has provided engineering, construction and operational services for more than 100 ethanol plants in North America.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indorama Ventures (IVL), through its indirect subsidiary, Indorama Netherlands, has signed a definitive share purchase agreement with Church Street Trustees as trustees of the SI Trust, BTI Overseas Ltd. and Capital Alliance Private Equity II to acquire Bevpak (Nigeria) Ltd, as per Apic-online.

Bevpak, located in Ibadan, Nigeria, is "one of the largest" manufacturers of polyethylene terephthalate preforms in West Africa, IVL noted. It has a production capacity of 18,000 t/y.

The transaction, for which a value was not given, is expected to be completed within the first quarter of 2019, subject to regulatory approvals.

As MRC informed before, Indorama Ventures (IVL) has commenced production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at plants it acquired from Artlant PTA in Portugal and EIPET in Egypt, respectively.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, listed in Thailand, is one of the world's leading petrochemicals producers, a global manufacturing footprint with 59 sites in 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The company's portfolio is comprises necessities and high value-added (HVA) categories of polymers, fibers, and packaging. Indorama Ventures has approx. 15,000 employees worldwide and consolidated revenue of USD 8.4 billion in 2017. The company is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI).
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Venezuelan sanctions unlikely to have a significant impact on U.S. refiners, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

U.S. imports of Venezuelan crude oil have decreased in recent years as production in Venezuela declined. Recently announced U.S. sanctions directed at Venezuela’s energy sector and state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), will essentially eliminate U.S. imports of Venezuelan crude oil as the full effects of the sanctions emerge. However, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) does not anticipate any significant decrease in U.S. refinery runs as a result of these sanctions.

U.S. imports of Venezuelan crude oil have been falling for several years and refineries have been replacing Venezuelan crude oil with other heavy crude oils.

Moving forward, refineries may also choose to run lighter crude oils because transportation constraints may limit the availability of heavy crude oils. Refiners with significant asphalt and road oils processing unit capacity, for which Venezuelan crude oil is well suited, may have a harder time finding adequate replacements; however, these refineries have also limited imports from Venezuela recently.

On January 23, 2019, the United States officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela. On January 25, 2019, the White house issued Executive Order 13857, Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with Respect to Venezuela, which expanded U.S. sanctions by including PDVSA in sanctions against the Maduro regime. Although there is a wind-down period for purchasing petroleum and petroleum products, payments must be placed into an escrow account that is not accessible by PDVSA. EIA expects this action to have an immediate impact, essentially eliminating U.S. imports from Venezuela as the full effects of the sanctions are felt. The sanctions apply not only to U.S. persons, but also to any transaction involving the U.S. financial system. The Office of Foreign Assets Control at the U.S. Treasury Department indicates that sanctions may be lifted after control of PDVSA is transferred to Interim President Juan Guaido or a subsequent democratically elected government.

The sanctions also prohibit the United States from exporting petroleum products to Venezuela. This prohibition includes diluent, which PDVSA uses to mix with its much heavier crude oils. If PDVSA cannot find another source for diluent in a relatively short period of time, Venezuela’s crude oil production is likely to decline.

In the first 11 months of 2018, U.S. Gulf Coast refineries ran crude oil with an average sulfur content of 1.4% and an average API gravity of 32.6 degrees. The average API gravity was 30.0 degrees in 2013 and this change reflects the trend of Gulf Coast refineries running lighter crude oil slates. The lightening of the crude slate is likely the result of increased refinery capacity and availability of lighter crude oils and is not indicative of a decrease in demand for heavy crude oil, which Gulf Coast refineries are generally optimized to run.
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