MOSCOW (MRC) -- US polyethylene (PE) exports rose 11% in December to 858,634 metric tons, a new monthly high, reported Chemweek with reference to US Commerce Department data released yesterday.
PE exports from the US totaled 9.33 million metric tons (MMt) for the whole of 2019, up 2.84 MMt, 44%, over 2018.
The export boom is a result of the dramatic expansion of North American PE capacity in recent years and the abundance of low-cost feedstock that has made PE exports competitive in the global market.
US PE export volumes to China fell by 9% to 584,157 metric tons last year, bucking the overall trend because of the trade war. However, US suppliers adjusted by selling more into markets in Southeast Asia. Of the four fastest-growing PE export destinations in 2019, three were in Southeast Asia: Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam, which collectively took in 845,888 metric tons more PE in 2019 compared to the previous year.
Belgium was the second-fastest-growing PE export market for the US by volume, accounting for about 10% of additional exports in 2019. Brazil was the fifth-fastest-growing destination.
US PE export volumes will likely need to continue growing in 2020, with three new PE plants with a total of 1.32 MMt of production capacity scheduled to come online over the next few months and limited growth prospects for the domestic market. Domestic demand weakened in 2019, according to preliminary data published in January by the American Chemistry Council. Domestic sales by US and Canadian producers in 2019 totaled 31.6 billion pounds, or 14.3 MMt, down from 32.7 billion pounds, 14.8 MMt, in 2018.
We remind that, as MRC wrote before, in early November 2019, LyondellBasell began the commissioning works of its new high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in La Porte, Texas, USA. The brand new plant will utilize LyondellBasell’s patented Hyperzone technology to produce 500,000 tons/year of HDPE. Sales volumes from the plant are expected to increase during the first quarter of 2020.
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.
MRC