Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical to restart No. 2 PP line in China this week

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical, part of China's petrochemical giant - Sinopec, is expected to bring on-line its new PP unit after maintenance in the first week of November, reported CommoPlast with reference to market sources.

Based in Guangzhou, China, this unit's production capacity is 200,000 tons/year. The company also operates an old No. 1 PP line at the site with a production capacity of 140,000 tons/year.

Both units were shut down for a turnaround on 9 October 2019.

Meanwhile, its 60,000 tons/year old No. 2 PP line is still running regularly at the moment.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 976,790 tonnes in January-September 2019, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation or Sinopec Limited is a Chinese oil and gas company based in Beijing, China. Sinopec's business includes oil and gas exploration, refining, and marketing; production and sales of petrochemicals, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers, and other chemical products; storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas; import, export and import/export agency business of crude oil, natural gas, refined oil products, petrochemicals, and other chemicals.
MRC

Sinopec Guangzhou to restart Guangzhou cracker after maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical, part of China's petrochemical giant - Sinopec, plans to restart operations at its cracker in early December, 2019, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company started maintenance at the plant on October 12, 2019.

Located in the Guangzhou province of China, the cracker has ethylene production capacity of 260,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 150,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported before, Sinopec Guangzhou Petrochemical, part of China's petrochemical giant - Sinopec, is expected to bring on-line its No. 1 PP unit after maintenance in the first week of November. Based in Guangzhou, China, this unit's production capacity is 140,000 tons/year. This is the old PP line. The company also operates a new No. 2 PP line at the site with a production capacity of 200,000 tons/year. Both units were shut down for a turnaround on 9 October 2019. Meanwhile, its 60,000 tons/year old PP line 2 is still running regularly at the moment.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market was 976,790 tonnes in January-September 2019, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of PP block copolymer and homopolymer PP increased.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation or Sinopec Limited is a Chinese oil and gas company based in Beijing, China. Sinopec's business includes oil and gas exploration, refining, and marketing; production and sales of petrochemicals, chemical fibers, chemical fertilizers, and other chemical products; storage and pipeline transportation of crude oil and natural gas; import, export and import/export agency business of crude oil, natural gas, refined oil products, petrochemicals, and other chemicals.
MRC

Plastik, Uzlovaya reduces November EPS prices for Russian market

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Plastik (Uzlovaya), the Russian producer of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) plastics and suspension polystyrenes (PS), has reduced its November selling prices of expandable polystyrene (EPS) for the Russian market, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Thus, the company's prices for November shipments dropped to Rb100,500-105,000/tonne, CPT Moscow, including VAT.

At the same time, demand for material in the Russian market is currently moderate.

As reported earlier, another major Russian EPS producer - SIBUR-Khimprom - also reduced its EPS prices for this month's deliveries. Thus, the decrease was Rb2,000/tonne.

OJSC "Plastic" (Uzlovaya) specializes in the production of ABS plastics and polystyrene. The plant's complex includes the following production capacities: styrene - 60,000 tonnes/year, EPS - 11,300 tonnes/year and ABS plastics - 23,000 tonne/year. The plant's sales policy is implemented by the Trading House "Plastik".
MRC

SIBUR-Khimprom reduces November EPS prices for Russian market

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SIBUR-Khimprom has reduced its general price range of expandable polystyrene (EPS) for November shipments to Russian customers by Rb2,000/tonne, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

Thus, prices of material were at Rb103,000-108,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, for the Russian market this month.

Meantime, the Russian producer reduced its October EPS prices by Rb1,500/tonne to Rb105,500-110,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT.

At the same time, demand for material was moderate in the EPS domestic market in November.

SIBUR-Khimprom (part of SIBUR Holding) specializes in the processing of liquid hydrocarbons and is one of the leading Russian producers of a number of the most important petrochemical products. The company has three main production capacities: production of butyl alcohols and 2-ethylhexanol with a capacity of 160,000 tonnes per year, production of ethylbenzene (220,000 tonnes per year), styrene monomer (SM) production (135,000 tonnes per year) and polystyrene (PS) production (100,000 tonnes per year), ethylene and propylene unit, production of eco-friendly plasticizer DOTF (100,000 tonnes per year).
MRC

Kazakhstan bans oil product exports by car for six months

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kazakhstan has banned the export of oil products by car for a period of six months, reported S&P Global with reference to a document on the energy ministry website.

Last month Kazakhstan's energy minister Kanat Bozumbaev warned against exports to nearby countries of cheaper gasoline and diesel and said prices in Kazakhstan could be raised to the level of Russian prices, according to media reports published on the energy ministry website.

Kazakhstan used to rely on imports of duty-free gasoline from Russia to cover domestic demand, but following the modernization of Kazakhstan's three refineries, it announced earlier this year that it could export up to 600,000 mt/year of gasoline to nearby countries in Central Asia.

Separately, Kazakhstan will reduce the share of imported jet fuel to 4% in 2019 from 60% in 2018, following refinery upgrades, according to the energy ministry's website.

The country's jet fuel output in 2019 is forecast at 694,000 mt, or more than 60% higher year on year, and could potentially rise to 850,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, in January 2016, South Korea's LG Chem said it had decided to drop a plan to jointly build a USD4.2-billion petrochemical complex in Kazakhstan, citing a prolonged slump in oil prices and a sharp increase in facility investments. In 2011, the chemical company said it would construct the complex near the western Kazakh city of Atyrau as part of a 50-50 joint venture with two Kazakh companies. The plan involved building ethylene and polyethylene (PE) plants with annual capacities of 840,000 tonnes and 800,000 tonnes, respectively. The project was announced in 2013.

Ethylene is a feedstock for producing PE.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,589,580 tonnes in the first nine months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased.
MRC