Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical resumes production at HDPE plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical has restarted its high density polyethylene (HDPE) unit in Shanghai, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that, the company resumed operations at the unit on July 8, 2020. The unit was shut for brief maintenance on June 30, 2020.

Located at Shanghai in China, the unit has a production capacity of 260,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical took off-stream its HDPE plant on January 2, 2018 owing to technical issues. Further details of duration of shutdown could not be ascertained.

According to MRC's DataScope report, June HDPE imports to Russia decreased to 19,300 tonnes from 22,100 tonnes a month earlier on weaker shipments from Uzbekistan and Europe. Overall HDPE imports into the country totalled 147,400 tonnes in the first six months of 2020, down by 14% year on year. Film grade and pipe grade HDPE accounted for the greatest decrease in shipments.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation, or Sinopec Limited is a Chinese oil and gas company based in Beijing, China. It is listed in Hong Kong and also trades in Shanghai and New York . Sinopec is the worlds fifth biggest company by revenue.
MRC

HDPE price rise accelerated in July in Russia

MOSCOW (MRC) - After a long period of price decline, high density polyethylene (HDPE) prices began to rise in Russia at the end of June. The dynamics of price growth increased in the second half of July on a serious reduction in supply, according to the ICIS-MRC Price Report.

The long period of surplus and decline in HDPE prices in Russia ended in the second half of June. The weakening of the rouble and high prices of polyethylene in foreign markets forced some producers to increase export volumes in July, and imports also decreased. And these factors, in the context of seasonal growth in demand, led to a lack of HDPE supply in the market, followed by a dynamic rise in prices.

At the same time, some of the sellers have actually suspended all their polyethylene sales in the last two weeks. The rise in world prices of HDPE and the devaluation of the rouble against the dollar in June began to put pressure on imports, in the next month external supplies decreased even more.

At the same time, even in conditions of high prices, there are serious restrictions on sales from external suppliers in some segments, in particular, black pipe PE100. Serious price imbalance in the Russian market and in the markets in Asia, Turkey and Europe forced some domestic producers to increase their export volumes.

Export sales of extrusion grades of polyethylene increased. Demand for HDPE has begun to gradually recover in the Russian market since June after falling in April-May. And the growth in exports and the reduction in imports amid growing demand led to a serious reduction in supply.

Some sellers have begun to limit their sales since mid-July; in some cases, it was reported that sales were completely suspended due to lack of stocks. The situation with the balance of demand and supply of HDPE in the market was significantly worsened by the unplanned shutdown of part of Stavrolen's capacities at the end of last week. The greatest shortage remained in black PE 100 segment.

The market of injection moulding HDPE was more or less balanced. Negotiations on August delivery of HDPE have begun this week. Many suppliers announced an increase in prices.

Deals for film HDPE were discussed from Rb73,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. Price offers for blow moulding HDPE in some cases were heard at Rb79,500/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT. At the same time, not all sellers began to discuss the August deliveries.

It should also be understood that Kazanorgsintez and Stavrolen intend to shut down their capacities in September-October for scheduled preventive maintenance.
MRC

Demand destruction, low margins squeeze Reliance petchem profit

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Reliance Industries says that its group net profit for the fiscal first quarter ended 30 June increased 30.6% compared with the same period of the prior year, to Rs132.48 billion Indian rupees (USD1.77 billion), said Chemweek.

The company recorded an exceptional gain of Rs49.66 billion from the divestment of shares in the Reliance BP Mobility Services Ltd. business. The company reports a 42% year-on-year (YOY) decline in sales, to Rs1.0 trillion. EBITDA decreased by 11.8% YOY to Rs215.85 billion because of a lower contribution from the oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business, which faced significant demand destruction and margin pressure across transportation fuels and the polyester chain, Reliance says.

“The severe demand destruction due to global lockdowns impacted our hydrocarbons business but the flexibility in our operations enabled us to operate at near-normal levels and deliver industry-leading results,” says Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director at Reliance.

Reliance’s petchem business saw a YOY decline in quarterly revenue of 33%, to Rs251.9 billion, primarily due to lower price realizations with disruptions in local and regional markets amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Quarterly EBITDA in the petchem sector plunged 49.7% YOY to Rs44.3 billion. Weak domestic demand and a higher share of exports weakened margins compared with regional benchmarks. This was partially offset by cost optimization and integration benefits, says Reliance.

Polyester-chain margins were weaker due to a decline in para-xylene (p-xylene) and purified terephthalic acid (PTA) margins with significant new supplies. Polyester-chain margins averaged USD540/metric ton compared with USD668/metric ton in the year-earlier quarter. With a sharp fall in feedstock prices, naphtha cracking economics improved vis-a-vis gas cracking, which aided polymer-chain margins, it adds. Polymer-chain margins averaged USD500/metric ton compared with USD471/metric ton in the year-earlier quarter.

The company says that it operated its plants on average at rates of more than 90% during India’s lockdown period. Reliance says that during the lockdown, it grew its petchem exports by more than 2.5 times in just two weeks.

Reliance earlier this month, during the company's annual shareholders' meeting, said that due to unforeseen circumstances in the energy market as well as COVID-19, its talks with Saudi Aramco to form a partnership for the O2C business had not progressed according to the original timeline. Reliance plans to approach the National Company Law Tribunal (Delhi, India) with a proposal to spin off its O2C business into a separate subsidiary to facilitate a partnership with Aramco.

Ambani said he expects the spin-off to be completed by early 2021 but did not provide a date for the partnership with Aramco, which was originally due to be completed in March 2020.

As MRC informed earlier, Reliance Industries says that due to unforeseen circumstances in the energy market as well as COVID-19, its talks with Saudi Aramco to form an oil-to-chemicals (O2C) partnership have not progressed according to the original timeline.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 595,170 tonnes in the first five month of 2020, up by 10% year on year. Deliveries of all ethylene polymers, except for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), rose partially because of an increase in capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market was 457,930 tonnes in January-May 2020 (calculated by the formula production minus export plus import). Deliveris of exclusively PP random copolymer increased.

Reliance Industries is one of the world's largest producers of polymers. Thus, the company produces among others polypropylene, polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.
MRC

PlasticsEurope, EU Commission launch project to reduce microplastics in lakes

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PlasticsEurope, the association of European plastics manufacturers, says that it has launched a co-funded project with the European Commission’s LIFE Program, dubbed LIFE Blue Lakes, in response to the increasing risk posed by the concentration of microplastics in European lakes, reported Chemweek.

The project is coordinated by Legambiente, an Italian environmental association, and brings together local and international partners, aiming to reduce and prevent the presence of microplastics in Italian and German lakes, PlasticsEurope says.

The average concentration of microplastics per square kilometer has increased by more than 400% in the waters of Lake Garda, Trasimeno, and Bracciano in Italy in just three years, harming water quality, biodiversity, and potentially human health, according to PlasticsEurope. Results of data tracking their presence shows that despite the different morphological and ecosystem characteristics of the three lakes, the concentration of particles found in the lakes rose from 135,188 in 2017 to 549,020 in 2019, PlasticsEurope says.

“Plastic waste is unacceptable in any environment. Our participation in the Blue Lakes project reflects our commitment to finding solutions to some of our most pressing environmental issues, in particular marine litter. We know that tackling the problem at source is crucial and to be truly effective requires multi-stakeholder collaboration at local, European, and international level,” says Virginia Janssens, managing director at PlasticsEurope.

LIFE Blue Lakes will focus its actions on three Italian and two German lakes "to design and test standard protocols on pilot areas, with the aim of developing and implementing good practices extended to other European lake communities,” PlasticsEurope says.

PlasticsEurope says it is actively involved in the ongoing scientific assessment of the potential impact of microplastics on human health and the environment.

As MRC informed previously, EU Plastic Tax has recently approved by European Council: A Danger for the EU Single Market & Recovery. The plan foresees a EUR0.80/kg levy on non-recycled plastic packaging waste to be paid by member states into the EU budget.

We remind that an estimated 11 million metric tons (MMt) of plastic waste enter the ocean every year and this will almost triple by 2040, to 29 MMt, if immediate and sustained action is not taken, according to a newly published in-depth report.

According to MRC's DataScope report, PE imports to Russia dropped in January-June 2020 by 7% year on year to 328,000 tonnes. High density polyethylene (HDPE) accounted for the main decrease in imports. At the same time, PP imports into Russia rose in the first six months of 2020 by 21% year on year to 105,300 tonnes. Propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) accounted for the main increase in imports.
MRC

Dongguan Grand Resource to resume production at PDH plant

MOSOW (MRC) -- Dongguan Grand Resource Science and Tech is likely to resume operations at its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant this week after maintenance, according to Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company started maintenance works at the plant in early-July, 2020. The plant is expected to remain off-line for a period of around 30 days.

Located in Guangdong, China, the plant has a propylene production capacity of 600,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed earlier, Dongguan Grand Resource Science and Tech restarted its PDH plant on January 17, 2020. The plant was shut for maintenance on January 6, 2020.

Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of PP.

According to MRC's DataScope report, PP imports into Russia rose in the first six months of 2020 by 21% year on year to 105,300 tonnes. Propylene homopolymer (homopolymer PP) accounted for the main increase in imports.

Dongguan Grand Resource Science and Technology Co Ltd is owned by Juzhengyuan Energy (Shenzhen, Guangdong, China). On 26 October 2019, Dongguan Grand Resource’s (Dongguan, Guangdong, China) integrated complex for polypropylene production in Dongguan officially started up.
MRC