MEGlobal announces ACP for October 2020

MOSCOW (MRC) -- MEGlobal announced that its Asian Contract Price (ACP) for monoethylene glycol (MEG) will be USD640/MT CFR Asian main ports for arrival October 2020, said the company.

The October 2020 ACP reflects the short term supply/demand situation in the Asian market.

MEG is one of the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PET consumption totalled 367,720 tonnes in the first six months of 2020, up by 19% year on year. Russian companies processed 62,910 tonnes in June.

Headquartered in Dubai (UAE), MEGlobal is the world leader in the production of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and diethylene glycol (DG). Established in July 2004, MEGlobal currently sells more than 2.5 million tons of DG per year worldwide. MEGlobal is a 100% subsidiary of Equate Petrochemical Company. In December 2015, Dow Chemical closed a deal to sell its stake in MEGlobal to Equate Petrochemical Company as part of a strategy to optimize its equity stake in Kuwaiti joint ventures.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Japan's Idemitsu Kosan has taken off-stream its naphtha cracker for a turnaround, according to Apic-onlne.

A Polymerupdate source in Japan informed that, the company halted operations at the cracker on September 7, 2020. The cracker is likely to remain under maintenance by end-October, 2020.

Located at Tokuyama, Japan, the cracker has an ethylene production capacity of 690,000 mt/year and propylene production capacity of 110,000 mt/year.

Idemitsu Kosan also operates another cracker in Chiba, Japan, with an ethylene production capacity of 410,000 mt/year.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PE production totalled 1,712,400 tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, up by 58% year on year. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) accounted for the greatest increase in the output. At the same time, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.

Idemitsu Kosan is a Japanese petroleum company. It owns and operates oil platforms, refineries and produces and sells petroleum, oils and petrochemical products. The company runs two petrochemical plants in Chiba and Tokuyama. The two naphtha crackers can produce up to 997,000 tonnes of ethylene per year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China’s Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical is expected to start up its 1 million tons/year cracker in China around mid of September 2020, reported CommoPlast with reference to a source close to the company.

Hence the company's polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) new plants shall start up around October period.

The new plants include a 450,000 tons/year high density polyethylene (HDPE) plant, a 200,000 tons/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) line and a 350,000 tons/year PP line.

Sinochem Quanzhou Petrochemical began trial runs at its HDPE plant on 25 August, 2020, according to market sources.

As MRC informed before, in January 2020, Sinochem Energy, a unit of China’s Sinochem Group, agreed to sell a 20% stake to five state-owned firms for 11.56 billion yuan (USD1.65 billion).

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PE production totalled 1,712,400 tonnes in the first seven months of 2020, up by 58% year on year. Linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) accounted for the greatest increase in the output. At the same time, overall PP production in Russia increased in January-July 2020 by 24% year on year to 1,063,700 tonne. ZapSibNeftekhim accounted for the main increase in the output.

Sinochem Group engages in energy, agriculture, chemicals, real estate, and finance service businesses in China and internationally. It is involved in the exploration and production, refining and trading, warehousing and logistics, and distribution and retailing of oil and gas. The company also produces and distributes fertilizers, such as nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and other fertilizers.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Ukraine decreased by 20% in the first eight months of this year, compared to the same period in 2019 and slightly exceeded 25,000 tonnes. Sales of Ukrainian PVC to foreign markets increased by 4% year on year, according to a MRC's DataScope report.

Last month's suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) imports into the Ukrainian market rose to 2,000 tonnes from 1,700 tonnes in July, with North American resin accounting for the main increase in shipments. Overall SPVC imports exceeded 25,000 tonnes in January-August 2020, compared to 31,300 tonnes a year earlier.

At the same time, the high level of capacity utilisation allowed the Ukrainian producers to increase export volumes. European producers with the share of about 80% of the total imports over the stated period were the key suppliers of PVC to the Ukrainian market. Producers from the USA with the share of about 17% were the second largest suppliers.

Last month, Karpatneftekhim increased the volume of external sales, the export sales of Ukrainian PVC amounted to 6,000 tonnes against 2,600 tonnes in July. Overall, about 111,000 tonnes of PVC were shipped for export in January-August 2020, compared to 106,400 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Kazanorgsyntez, TAIF Group, Russia's largest producer of polyethylene, has begun a sequential shutdown for scheduled maintenance works of its high density polyethylene (HDPE) production facilities, MRC analysts reported.

According to the clients of the enterprise, Kazanorgsintez began a sequential shutdown for the maintenance works of HDPE capacities last weekend, a complete shutdown of capacities is planned by the end of this week. The shutdown will be quite long and will last approximately until the end of October. The plant's production capacity is 540,000 tonnes per year.

It is also worth noting that in line with the maintenance works of HDPE capacities, there will be short shutdown of low density polyethylene (LDPE) production facilities. The plant's annual production capacity is 225,000 tonnes.

As already noted, Ufaorgsintez shut its LDPE facilities for maintenance over the weekend for repairs.

Kazanorgsintez is the largest domestic producer of polymers and ethylene copolymers, a leading enterprise in the chemical industry of the Russian Federation, which is of strategic importance for the development of the economy of the Republic of Tatarstan and is part of the TAIF Group of Companies. At present, the company produces ethylene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyethylene pipes, bisphenol, phenol, acetone, ethylene glycols, ethanolamines and other organic synthesis products. The product range includes over 170 items. Kazanorgsintez's annual output is 1.7 million tonnes. The products comply with international quality standards and are exported to 31 countries around the world. The main types of raw materials for production are: ethane, ethylene, liquefied hydrocarbon gases (propane, butane), benzene, ethylene oxide, propane-propylene fraction, vinyl acetate.
MRC