MOSCOW (MRC) -- Two people were missing and two injured after an explosion on Sunday at a biofuel plant in China’s Fujian province, reported Reuters with reference to the local fire department and state media's statements.
The blast occurred around 10:10 a.m. (0210 GMT) at Longyan Zhuoyue New Energy Co Ltd, a Shanghai-listed biofuel producer based in the southern city of Longyan, as workers were doing maintenance, CCTV said.
The fire was continuing as of 0600 GMT, as more than 100 firefighters were dispatched to the site and nearby residents had been evacuated, CCTV said.
Longyan Zhuoyue New Energy processes gutter oil into biodiesel, the company website says.
We remind that, as MRC informed earlier, China is reviving a USD20 billion petrochemical project in eastern Shandong province as part of efforts to dial up infrastructure spending to support an economy struggling with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The 400,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery and 3 million ton-per-year ethylene plant in Yantai, Shandong, the country’s hub for independent oil refineries, was proposed years ago but approval has been slowing in coming because of China’s struggle with excess refining capacity.
Ethylene is the main feedstock for the production of polyethylene (PE).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 721,290 tonnes in the first four month of 2020, up by 4% year on year. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) shipments grew partially because of the increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 347,440 tonnes in January-April 2020 (calculated by the formula production minus export plus import). Supply exclusively of PP random copolymer increased.
MRC