Yangzi refinery produces European standard gasoline

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China’s Sinopec said that its Yangzi refinery is able to produce gasoline that meets European exports standards, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The success of the 160,000-barrel-per-day plant in eastern province Jiangsu will help the company expand high-quality gasoline exports amid a saturated domestic market, it said.

As MRC informed earlier, in 2017, Sinopec to double capacity of the Neopentylglycol (NPG) production line at its Yangzi refinery from 40,000 tpy to 80,000 tpy. Expanded production line will start operation in 2020. NPG is used as a raw material to produce paints and lubricants.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Austria’s Borealis has halted PP operations at its Burghausen site in Bavaria, Germany, reported NCT.

The company has been experiencing issues related to an interruption of the raw material deliveries from the neighboring cracker of OMV, sources reported.

However, the news was not directly confirmed by the company at the time of press.

The company currently operates two PP plants at the complex, which have a combined capacity of 560,000 tons/year.

As MRC wrote previously, in March 2018, Borealis and United Chemical Company LLP (UCC) signed a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) for the development of a world-scale polyethylene project, integrated with an ethane cracker, in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 796,120 tonnes in January-July 2019, up by 11% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased..

Borealis is a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilizers. With headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Borealis currently employs around 6,500 and operates in over 120 countries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shaanxi Yulin Energy & Chemical has restarted its Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit following a maintenance turnaround, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed the company has resumed operations at the units on September 4, 2019. The units were shut for maintenance on August 20, 2019

Located at Shaanxi province of china, the LLDPE unit has a production capacity of 300,000 mt/year.

The company also operates the polypropylene (PP) plant with a capacity of 330,00 mt/yeat at the same time.

As MRC reported earlier, in July 2017, LyondellBasell granted its Spherizone and Lupotech T Licenses to Shaanxi Coal Yulin Energy and Chemical. Spherizone is the most advanced PP technology and should help expand the company’s product portfolio, while Lupotech T should provide a cost advantage. This technology is used in the Jingbian Chemical Industrial Park in Yulin City, China.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, LLDPE shipments to the Russian market increased in the first seven months of 2019 by 8% year on year to 234,130 tonnes. Local producers increased their production by 24%.

Coal Shaanxi Yulin Energy and Chemical Co., Ltd., is mainly engaged in polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), etc. The company's registered capital is unknown, its office is located in known as "China's Kuwait" in Yulin, Shaanxi Hengshan County Yulin, 1000 employees.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- All petrochemical units at Germany’s Burghausen refinery had gradually restarted following a technical incident and had come back in operation by Sunday, 1 September 2019, according to Hellenic Shipping News with reference to the company's statement.

First deliveries of propylene have also commenced, it said.

Due to the incident on August 24, "no ethylene and butadiene are currently being delivered from the Burghausen refinery," owner OMV said, adding that the facility’s customers have been informed. Then, OMV declared force majeure on supplies from its cracker in Burghausen Refinery, Germany.

According to local media, the glitch occurred at the cooling system of the ethylene plant. During the restart, flaring were expected.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,255,800 tonnes in the first seven months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 796,120 tonnes in January-July 2019, up by 11% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nizhnekamskneftekhim (NKNH, part of the TAIF group) reduced quantities of Ukrainian buyers' pre-orders for the current month by 2-3 times, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

On the back of this, the current shortage of polystyrene (PS) is expected to remain in the domestic market. Besides, the deficit might intensify by the end of the month, which can lead to an acute shortage of material.

Stocks at PS sellers' warehouses are expected fall drastically in September. Some traders hold back material in anticipation of the development of the situation in the Ukrainian PS market.

As reported earlier, Nizhnekamskneftekhim announced an increase in PS prices for September deliveries to Ukraine. Nizhnekamskneftekhim shipped general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) to the region at USD1,130/tonne FCA Nizhnekamsk, including VAT, and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) - at USD1,190/tonne FCA Nizhnekamsk, including VAT, this month.
MRC