Enterprise starts up Mentone natural gas processing plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Enterprise Products Partners LP has commissioned its Mentone cryogenic natural gas processing plant in Loving County, Tex., in the Delaware basin, reported OGJ.

Equipped to process 300 MMcfd of gas and extract more than 40,000 b/d of NGLs, the Mentone plant - which is supported by a long-term acreage dedication agreement - recently entered service, Enterprise said on Jan. 21.

While the operator did not disclose a specific timeframe for when Mentone reached startup, Enterprise said commissioning of this seventh gas plant in the Delaware basin brings the company’s total capacity in the Permian basin to more than 1.6 bcfd of natural gas processing and more than 250,000 b/d of NGL extraction, according to its two most recent presentations to investors.

Alongside the new plant, Enterprise also built 66 miles of large-diameter gathering and residue pipelines, as well as expanded compression capabilities linking Mentone to the partnership’s NGL and Texas Intrastate natural gas pipeline networks.

"These assets provide critical infrastructure to facilitate growing natural gas and NGL production in the region, which is expected to increase by more than 60% over the next 5 years," said Brent Secrest, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer of Enterprise’s general partner. “The addition of Mentone also enhances access to our fully integrated midstream network of assets linking producers in the Delaware basin to domestic and international demand."

To accommodate the increase in NGLs, Enterprise also confirmed it remains in the process of adding 300,000-b/d of fractionation capacity at its Mont Belvieu, Tex. Complex in two 150,000-b/d projects.

In a December 2019 presentation to investors, Enterprise said the Mont Belvieu fractionation units, named Frac 10 and Frac 11, were scheduled for startup in fourth-quarter 2019 and second-quarter 2020, respectively.

As MRC informed before, Enterprise Products Partners' Mont Belvieu propane dehydrogenation unit in Texas restarted from planned maintenance in the first week of December, 2019. The PDH unit went offline for maintenance on November 13. That day, the company said in a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that the RAC "B" turbine shut down, which resulted in flaring. The flaring was estimated to last 72 hours. The unit has a capacity of 750,000 tonne per year.

Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, the PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. is an American midstream natural gas and crude oil pipeline company with headquarters in Houston, Texas. It acquired GulfTerra in September 2004. The company ranked No. 105 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Overall imports of polypropylene (PP) into Belarus rose in the first eleven months of 2019 by 10% year on year, totalling 99,800 tonnes. All grades of propylene polymers accounted for the increase in demand, according to a MRC's DataScope report.

PP imports to Belarus were 9,800 tonnes in November 2019, compared to 8,500 tonnes a month earlier, local companies raised their purchasing of PP in Russia. Overall imports of propylene polymers reached 99,800 tonnes in January-November 2019, compared to 90,500 tonnes a year earlier, demand increased for all PP grades, with propylene copolymers accounting for the greatest growth.

The structure of PP imports by grades looked the following way over the stated period.

November imports of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) reached 7,500 tonnes, compared to 5,600 tonnes a month earlier, purchasing of homopolymer PP in Russia increased after September-October restrictions because of shutdowns for maintenance at some local plants. Overall imports of homopolymer PP reached 67,800 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 9% year on year. Russian producers with the share of about 86% of the total shipments were the key suppliers.

November imports of propylene copolymers to Belarus were 2,300 tonnes versus 2,900 tonnes a month earlier, local companies reduced their procurement of injection moulding block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) from Russian producers. Thus, overall imports of propylene copolymers reached 32,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 12.7% year on year.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Imports of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into Belarus grew in the first eleven months of 2019 by 18% year on year to 35,400 tonnes, according to MRC's DataScope report.

According to the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, local converters slightly increased their purchasing of PVC in November 2019, overall imports totalled 3,300 tonnes, compared to 3,000 tonnes a month earlier.

Thus, imports of unmixed PVC reached 35,400 tonnes in January-November 2019, compared to 30,100 tonnes a year earlier, with local windows producers accounting for an increase in demand.

Russian producers with the share of about 83% of the Belarusian market were the key suppliers of resin to Belarus over the stated period. Producers from Ukraine and Germany with the share of 9% and 5%, respectively, were the second and third largest suppliers.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Valero Energy Corp on Saturday shut a diesel hydrotreater at its 335,000 barrel-per-day (BPD) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

Also, a hydrocracker remains shut at the refinery for repairs, the sources said.

As MRC informed earlier, Valero Energy Corp restarted the small CDU at its Port Arthur refinery after repairing a valve on 25 September 2019.

And in late October 2019, Valero Energy Corp shut the small crude distillation unit (CDU) at its Port Arthur refinery. The 75,000-bpd AVU 147 CDU was shut to repair a heat exchanger.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore (PCS) has restarted its aromatics plant No. 2 following an unplanned outage, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in the Singapore informed that, the company has resumed operations at the plant on January 18, 2020. The plant was shut in end-December, 2019 owing to technical issues.

Located in Ayer Merbau, Jurong Island, Singapore, the plant has a production capacity 168,000 mt/year of benzene, 91,000 mt/year of toluene and 64,000 mt/year of mixed xylene.

As MRC wrote before, in mid-April 2017, PCS shut the smaller of two naphtha crackers following an outage, and the unit was expected to stay offline for about 14 days. The smaller unit produces 465,000 tonnes of ethylene a year. The larger unit, which has a capacity of 635,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of ethylene and 350,000 mt/year of propylene, was operating at maximum capacity at that time.

Benzene is a feedstock for the production of styrene monomer (SM), which, in its turn, is the main feedstock for manufacturing polystyrene (PS).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics totalled 458,770 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, which corresponds to the previous year's level. November estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics in the Russian Federation rose by 2% year on year, totalling 49,210 tonnes.
PS production remained in January-November 2019 the same as a year earlier. Russian producers manufactured 471,390 tonnes of material in the first eleven months of 2019.

PCS is jointly owned by Japan-Singapore Petrochemicals Company (led by Sumitomo Chemical), Qatar Petroleum International and Shell Petrochemicals (Singapore).
MRC