Saudi Aramco and Air Products inaugurate first hydrogen fueling station

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Saudi Aramco and Air Products inaugurated the first hydrogen fueling station in Saudi Arabia at Air Products’ new Technology Center in the Dhahran Techno Valley Science Park, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The pilot station will fuel an initial fleet of six Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles with high-purity compressed hydrogen.

The announcement comes amid growing international recognition of hydrogen’s benefits. A report released last week by the International Energy Agency (IEA) concludes that hydrogen has vast potential to help the world reduce emissions while addressing its energy needs.

"This pilot project represents an exciting opportunity for Saudi Aramco and Air Products to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen in the transport sector and its viability as a sustainable fuel for the future," said Amin H. Nasser, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Aramco. "Today’s milestone is an important step in making oil-to-hydrogen a reality as Saudi Aramco continues to be focused on creating breakthrough technologies and solutions as part of our long term efforts to reduce carbon emissions and address climate concerns."

"It is well known that our world needs a sustainable system to address environmental challenges while also meeting growing energy demand. Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies are well positioned to be part of the solution," said Seifi Ghasemi, Air Products’ Chairman, President and CEO. "We are honored to collaborate with Saudi Aramco to establish and develop a sustainable, hydrocarbon-based hydrogen supply system for fuel cell vehicles in Saudi Arabia."

The new fueling station combines Saudi Aramco’s industrial and technological experience with Air Products’ know-how and experience in the field of hydrogen fueling.

Air Products’ proprietary SmartFuel hydrogen fueling technology will be incorporated into the new station to supply Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Vehicles with compressed hydrogen. The data collected during the initial phase of this project will provide valuable information for the assessment of future applications of this emerging and diverse transport technology in the local environment.

It is expected that the fleet of Toyota Mirai vehicles will have a driving range of 500km with water as their only emission and the ability to be fueled in five minutes as opposed to an hour for traditional battery electric vehicles. This would demonstrate the potential of hydrogen fueled vehicles to make a significant contribution to a clean, secure, and affordable energy future.

As MRC reported before, in October 2018, Saudi Aramco signed an agreement to invest in a refinery-petrochemical project in eastern China, part of its strategy to expand in downstream operations globally. The memorandum of understanding between the company and Zhejiang province included plans to invest in a new refinery and co-operate in crude oil supply, storage and trading, according to details released by the Zhoushan government after a signing ceremony in the city south of Shanghai.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The former manager of Curacao’s Isla refinery and a consultant were arrested as part of an investigation over alleged corruption in a process to select a new operator for the 335,000-barrel-per day facility, sources said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Former general manager Roderick van Kwartel and a company consultant, Ashley Isadora, were arrested on Monday, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the case. The executives were put on temporary leave earlier this year and the selection process was paused during the investigation.

As MRC informed earlier, Curacao’s state-owned Isla oil refinery, which is operated by Venezuelan state-run company PDVSA, has received an exemption from U.S. sanctions on PDVSA. The U.S. Treasury Department slapped sanctions on PDVSA in late January in a bid to force out socialist President Nicolas Maduro, who has overseen a collapse in the OPEC member nation’s economy.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of polypropylene (PP) in Russia increased to 609,100 tonne in first five months of this year, up 3,3% year on year, compared to the same period of 2018. Four producers out of seven reduced the capacity utilisation, according to MRC ScanPlast.

May PP production in the country grew to 135,100 tonnes, compared with 128,000 tonnes in April; SIBUR Tobolsk, Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Stavrolen increased their capacity utilisation. Russia's overall PP production reached 609,100 tonnes in January-May 2019, compared to 589,400 tonnes a year earlier. Four producers out of seven reduced the capacity utilisation, and SIBUR Tobolsk and NPP Neftekhimia provided a total increase in production volumes.

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

SIBUR Tobolsk increased capacity utilisation in May, total polypropylene production reached 50,400 tonnes against 48,200 tonnes in April. The Tobolsk plant's total PP production reached 207,500 tonnes in the first five months of 2019, up by 12% year on year.

Poliom (Titan Group) last month produced about 18,200 tonnes of polypropylene, compared with 18,600 tonnes in April. Total PP production at the plant over the reported period was about 89,700 tonnes, down 3% year on year.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim produced 18,500 tonnes of propylene polymers in May versus 15,200 tonnes a month earlier. The Nizhnekamsk plant's overall output of polymer exceeded 87,300 tonnes in the first five months of 2019, compared to 88,100 tonnes a year earlier.

Tomskneftekhim last month produced about 13,000 tonnes against 12,400 tonnes a month earlier. Total PP production by the producer decreased to 62,400 tonnes in January-May 2019, up 1% year on year.

May PP production at Ufaorgsintez reached about 10,600 tonnes from 11,100 tonnes a month earlier. The Ufa plant's overall output of polymer reached 55,400 tonnes in January-May 2019, down 1% year on year.

Neftekhimiya (Kapotnya) last month produced about 12,800 tonnes of PP, compared with 12,200 tonnes in April. The plant's overall PP output reached 61,500 tonnes over the stated period, up by 10% year on year.

Stavrolen (LUKOIL) increased its capacity utilisation in May, the total production of propylene polymers was 11,500 tonnes versus 10,100 tonnes a month earlier. In general, the total production of polymers of propylene in the first five months of this year at the Budenovsk enterprise reduced to 45,200 tonnes against 49,800 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Angarsk Polymers Plant has shut down its low density polyethylene (LDPE) production for a scheduled turnaround, according to ICIS-MRC Price Report.

The plant's customers said Angarsk Polymers Plant took off-stream its LDPE production for the scheduled maintenance on 22 June. The outage will last for 30 days, the plant's annual production capacity is about 75,000 tonnes.

It should also be noted that Gazprom neftekhim Salavat intends to shut its LDPE and high density polyethylene (HDPE) production capacities for a scheduled turnaround in early July. The outage is scheduled to last for one month.

Angarsk Polymer Plant (controlled by Rosneft through OOO Neft-Aktiv) is the only petrochemical full-cycle plant in Eastern Siberia. The bulk of the produced ethylene is used by the plant for the production of LDPE, styrene monomer (SM) and polystyrene (PS). Straight-run gasoline and hydrocarbon gases, mainly produced by OAO Angarskaya NHK, are the feedstocks for the plant.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- McDermott International, Inc. announced a large contract award from Saudi Aramco for engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) services in the Marjan and Zuluf fields, offshore Saudi Arabia, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The contract includes the full suite of EPCI services for the relocation of Control Rooms in Zuluf GOSP-4, Marjan GOSP 2 and 3 including the fabrication of new control rooms, boat landings and new jacket members, as well as the upgrade of all control systems as required.

"McDermott's extensive history with Saudi Aramco and our commitment to the continued growth of Saudi Arabia's energy sector is reflected in this award," said Linh Austin, McDermott's Senior Vice President, Middle East and North Africa. "We have a long track record of executing similar upgrade projects and believe that by working closely with our clients we can offer industry leading solutions which are suited to this evolving market segment."

The project is scheduled to be fully executed from McDermott's Al Khobar office and Dammam fabrication facility, in line with its strategic focus to strengthen In-Kingdom content.

Work on the project will begin immediately and the contract award will be reflected in McDermott's second quarter 2019 backlog.

As MRC wrote before, in December 2018, McDermott International, Inc. announced that it had been awarded a sizeable technology contract by HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Ltd. (HRRL) for the license and basic engineering design of two 490 KTA polypropylene plants in Pachpadra Tehsil, Barmer District, Rajasthan, India.
MRC