Suncor investing USD1.4B in oil sands plant upgrade to reduce emissions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Suncor Energy Inc. will spend USD1.4 billion to upgrade its Oil Sands Base Plant near Fort McMurray, the company said, as per Bloomberg.

Calgary-based Suncor will build two natural gas co-generation units that will replace three petroleum coke-fired boilers.

The project will provide steam generation needed to extract crude oil and will generate 800 megawatts of power that will be transmitted to Alberta’s power grid. Suncor said the investment will cut greenhouse gas emissions associated with the plant’s steam production by 25 per cent.

“This is a great example of how Suncor deploys capital in projects that are economically robust, sustainability minded and technologically progressive,” said Suncor President and CEO Mark Little in a release.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the new units are also expected to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 45 per cent and nitrogen oxide emissions by 15 per cent, and increase demand for clean natural gas from Western Canada.

The project is expected to be in service by the second half of 2023.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical Co. has started up a second propylene plant using Honeywell UOP's C3 Oleflex technology at a new petrochemical complex in China, as per GV.

The new unit has the capacity to produce 450,000 t/y of polymer-grade propylene.

With the first unit, which was started up in late 2014, Zhejiang Satellite now has a production capacity of 900,000 t/y. Honeywell UOP's C3 Oleflex technology uses catalytic dehydrogenation to convert propane into propylene.

"The technology is designed to have a lower cash cost of production and higher return on investment compared with competing technologies," Honeywell noted.

Propylene is the main feedstock for producing polyprolypele (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated consumption of PP in the Russian market totalled 694,210 tonnes in January-June 2019, up by 14% year on year. The supply of propylene block copolymers (PP-block) and propylene homopolymers (PP-homo) increased.

Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical Company Limited develops, manufactures and sells acrylic acid esters, methacrylic acids, pigment intermediates, acrylic emulsion polymers, super absorbent polymers, and other acrylic downstream products.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of caustic soda in to Russia for seven months of 2019 increased by 9% to 12,700 tonnes, according to MRC ScanPlast.

Imports of caustic soda in to Russia in January-July 2018 was at 11,700 tonnes.


Imports of liquid caustic were insignificant, in January-July 2019 the Russian Federation imported just 720 tonnes, the volume reduced by 3% against the volume of 2018 (740 tonnes).

Russia’s imports of rigid caustic into the country were 12,000 tonnes in the seven months of the year, up 10% year on year (10,900 tonnes).

At the same time exports increased by 8% and amounted to 149,600 tonnes in January-July 2019, in the same period a year earlier exports of caustic soda were 139,100 tonnes.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Electronics & Imaging (E&I) announced it has signed an agreement to sell its Compound Semiconductor Solutions (CSS) business to SK Siltron, a leading silicon wafer supplier to the semiconductor market based in South Korea, said the company.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2019, subject to customary regulatory approvals for closing.

The transaction is consistent with DuPont’s strategy of active portfolio management and disciplined capital allocation to further align the company’s portfolio with high return opportunities.

"The DuPont CSS business has state-of-the-art technologies for SiC wafer production to serve the power electronics market, but it is not a strategic priority for the E&I business,” said Jon Kemp, President, DuPont Electronics & Imaging. “Given its strategic focus, we believe SK Siltron will be a better owner and that the CSS business will thrive under SK Siltron’s ownership."

DuPont Electronics & Imaging is a global supplier of materials and technologies serving the semiconductor, advanced chip packaging, circuit board, electronic and industrial finishing, display, and digital and flexographic printing industries. From advanced technology centers worldwide, teams of talented research scientists and application experts work closely with customers, providing solutions, products and technical service to enable next-generation technologies. More information about DuPont Electronics & Imaging can be found on our electronic solutions and advanced printing websites.

DuPont (NYSE: DD) is a global innovation leader with technology-based materials, ingredients and solutions that help transform industries and everyday life. Our employees apply diverse science and expertise to help customers advance their best ideas and deliver essential innovations in key markets including electronics, transportation, construction, water, health and wellness, food and worker safety.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SABIC Europe, an affiliate of Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), plans to conduct a maintenance work at its cracker No.3 at Geleen site in the Netherlands in autumn, reported NCT with reference to market sources.

The planned maintenance is slated to start in September and last around 2 months.

The company could not be reached for comments at the time of publication, meanwhile.

The company operates two steam crackers in Geleen which are capable of producing 1,250,000 tons/year of ethylene and 675,000 tons/year of propylene in total.

As MRC wrote before, SABIC took off-stream its SABIC Olefins 4 cracker owing to technical issues on May 10, 2019. Further details on duration of the shutdown could not be ascertained. Located in beek, the Netherlands, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 690,000 mt/year and a propylene production capacity of 360,000 mt/year.

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.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the worldпїЅs market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC