Cost of giant Saudi Aramco refinery project to rise

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India’s planned giant refinery and petrochemical project, which is being built with Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), will cost more than the originally planned USD45 billion, reported Reuters with reference to India’s oil minister.

The 1.2 million barrels-per-day (bpd) giant coastal project is part of India’s plans to raise its refining capacity by 77% to 8.8 million bpd by 2030. It is being built at Roha, around 100 km (62 miles) south of Mumbai.

"The primary plan was around USD45 billion, it will be more than that," Dharmendra Pradhan told reporters at the World Energy Congress in Abu Dhabi, declining to say by how much.

Sources told Reuters last month that India had increased the cost estimate of the project by more than 36% after protests by farmers forced its relocation.

The project is expected to cost $60 billion, sources told Reuters at the time, but is still expected to be commissioned in 2025.

Pradhan confirmed the commissioning date and said other issues are progressing, without elaborating.

Global oil producers are vying to gain entry into India to establish a stable outlet for their output and to earn profit from the South Asian nation’s strong gasoline and petrochemical demand prospects due to the rising disposable income of its 1.3 billion population.

As MRC wrote before, in eary October, 2019, Saudi Aramco announced that it would supply agreed grades and volumes to India’s Reliance Industries in October after the world’s top oil exporter had to provide alternate heavier grader due to drone attacks on its oil installations.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,436,390 tonnes in the first eight months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the PP consumption in the Russian market was 909,260 tonnes in January-August 2019, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

Saudi Aramco is an integrated oil and chemicals company, a global leader in hydrocarbon production, refining processes and distribution, as well as one of the largest global oil exporters. It manages proven reserves of crude oil and condensate estimated at 261.1bn barrels, and produces 9.54 million bbl daily. Headquartered in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, the company employs over 61,000 staff in 77 countries.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Phillips 66 announces third-quarter 2019 earnings of USD712 million, compared with USD1.4 billion in the second quarter of 2019. Excluding special items of USD690 million in the third quarter, primarily impairments related to the company's investment in DCP Midstream, LLC, adjusted earnings were USD1.4 billion, compared with second-quarter adjusted earnings of USD1.4 billion, said the company.

In its chemicals segment, which reflects Phillips 66’s equity investment in Chevron Phillips Chemical (CPChem), Q3 pre-tax income fell to USD227m from USD275m in Q2 due to a USD42m reduction to equity earnings from a lower-of-cost-or-market inventory adjustment.

CPChem’s olefins and polyolefins (O&P) business contributed USD251m of adjusted pre-tax income in Q3, compared with USD260m in Q2. The USD9m decrease mainly reflects lower margins, partially offset by higher sales volumes. Global O&P utilisation was 97% in Q3.

CPChem’s specialties, aromatics and styrenics (SA&S) business contributed Q3 adjusted pre-tax income of $36m, in line with Q2. In Q3 2018, total chemical segment earnings were USD263m. The company did not comment on the year-on-year decline.

Phillips 66 noted that in chemicals, CPChem and Qatar Petroleum are jointly pursuing a petrochemical project on the US Gulf Coast – the "US Gulf Coast II Petrochemical Project" – which is expected to include a 2m tonne/year ethylene cracker and two high-density polyethylene (HDPE) units, each with capacity of 1m tonnes/year. A final investment decision is expected no later than 2021, with targeted startup in 2024.

CPChem and Qatar Petroleum are also pursuing the development of a petrochemicals project in Qatar with a 1.9m tonne/year ethylene cracker and two high-density polyethylene derivative units with a combined capacity of 1.7m tonne/year. Pending final investment decision, the Qatar project is expected to startup in late 2025, Phillips 66 said.

As MRC informed earlier, US-based Phillips 66 remains open to developing another ethane cracker for its Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) joint venture, the refiner's CEO said in March 2018.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polyprolypele (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) -- Valero Energy Corp shut the small crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 335,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, reported Reuters with reference to sources.

The 75,000-bpd AVU 147 CDU was shut to repair a heat exchanger, the sources said.

As MRC wrote previously, Valero Energy Corp restarted the small CDU at its 335,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas, refinery after repairing a valve on 25 September 2019.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,436,390 tonnes in the first eight months of 2019, up by 9% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, the PP consumption in the Russian market was 909,260 tonnes in January-August 2019, up by 10% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) to the Belarusian market rose in the first eight months of 2019 by 5% year on year to 4,600 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was 4,400 tonnes in January-August 2018.

Shipments of Russian material to Belarus fell in the first eight months of 2019 by 29% year on year.

August ABS imports to Belarus decreased by 26% year on year.

Thus, imports of material into the country were 533 tonnes over the stated period versus 720 tonnes in August 2018.

South Korea with an import share of 49% (260 tonnes) and Russia with 32% of the total imports (138 tonnes) were the key ABS suppliers to the Republic of Belarus in August.

At the same time, imports of Russian material into Belarus slumped in August by 62% year on year.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of general purpose polystyrene (GPPS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) to Belarus rose in the first eight months of 2019 by 13% year on year to 25,400 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

This figure was 22,400 tonnes in January-August 2018.

GPPS and HIPS imports from Russia into the country accounted for 81% of the total imports in the first eight months of 2019 or 20,600 tonnes, up by 2,800 tonnes year on year.

Imports of material to the Belarusian market grew in August by 20% year on year to 3,600 tonnes from 3,000 tonnes a year earlier. August GPPS and HIPS shipments into the country rose by 7% from July 2019 (3,300 tonnes).

August 2019 imports of Russian material into Belarus increased by 22% year on year to 2,900 tonnes from 2,400 tonnes a year earlier, July 2019 shipments were 2,800 tonnes.

MRC