Chemical industry receives record number of European Responsible Care awards - Cefic

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Cefic says that the European chemical industry has received a record number of awards in the 2020 European Responsible Care awards “Caring in COVID-19 Times,” for their global response in fighting the pandemic, reported Chemweek.

The awards given to 16 chemical companies and federations across Europe showcase the essential role of the chemical industry in the fight against COVID-19, Cefic says. Winning companies and federations were recognized and rewarded for their efforts to keep critical supply chains running, to protect workers and the workplace, and to support communities in the unprecedented times, it says.

The creativity of the chemical industry "is bringing more added value for society than ever before," says Vincent De Cuyper, executive committee member at Solvay and chair/program council for health, safety and environment, responsible care and supply chains at Cefic. "Our sector is a solution provider for other industries, and for society at large. It has been again reaffirmed in the European Commission’s Green Deal that the chemical industry is an essential link in the value creation chain for Europe’s economy,” he says.

Since the beginning of the crisis, the European chemical industry’s top priority has been to ensure the health and safety of employees and to secure supplies of critical chemicals into medical, environmental and food supply chains amidst border closures and lockdown measures, Cefic says. Key examples include providing biocides for disinfectants, non-woven fabrics for masks, and supporting the European Commission’s work on green lanes and movement of workers, it says.

As MRC informed before, in mid-July, 2020, Cefic called on EU member states to agree urgently on a recovery plan to restart Europe’s economy and kick off investments toward a green and digital transition. The EU chemical industry is seeking investments in building renovation, clean mobility, the development of all forms of clean hydrogen, chemical recycling, and carbon capture and storage as well as carbon capture and utilization, Cefic said then.

We remind that in 2017, SIBUR joined the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC). SIBUR has also become a member of the European Committee of Ethylene Producers and Technology Suppliers (EEPC, part of CEFIC). Membership in the Council allowed SIBUR to take part in the work of 93 sectoral groups on more than 120 petrochemical products, in 90 strategic groups working on issues of sustainable development, innovation, trade, energy and law in the field of petrochemicals.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,496,500 tonnes in the first eight months of 2020, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of all ethylene polymers increased, except for linear low desnity polyethylene (LLDPE). At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Volgograd Kaustik, Russia's fourth largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer, has resumed production after a scheduled turnaround, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

The plant's representative said PVC production at the Volgograd producer's started on 12 October, after a scheduled shutdown for repairs. The outage wast short and lasted for about 12 days. The plant's PVC production capacity is 90,000 tonnes/year.

PVC production at Volgograd Kaustik was launched in December 1972 with the assistance of the Japanese firm Kureh's specialists.

Nikokhim Group is one of the leaders of the Russian chemical industry, the main production assets of which are located in the southern industrial hub of Volgograd.

The holding company includes: JSC Kaustik is the principal plant of the group, manufactures basic products - caustic soda, chloroparaffins, synthetic hydrochloric acid, chlorine trademark, polyvinyl chloride, sodium hypochlorite, etc .; CJSC NikoMag - production of anti-icing materials, magnesium chloride, magnesium oxide and hydroxide; Zirax, Ltd. - production of high-purity reagents for various industries and JSC Poligran - the production of plastic compounds and rigid PVC compounds.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- European chlor-alkali and polyvinyl cloride (PVC) producer VYNOVA will conduct maintenance originally planned for August at Mazingarbe, France, in October, along with its Beek site in Netherlands, where the associated Tessenderlo chlor-alkali and monomer vinyl cloride (VCM) production will also undergo works, reported S&P Global with reference to the source.

"Our large Tessenderlo unit will be down in October and two out of three plants will be down in October," the source said.

As MRC wrote before, VYNOVA last carried out a maintenance turnaround at its PVC plant at Mazingarbe within 10 days from late July to eary August, 2017.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PVC production totalled 718,500 tonnes in January-September 2020, down by 0.3% year on year. At the same time, only two producers managed to increase their PVC output.

VYNOVA is a leading European PVC and chlor-alkali company. It operates production sites in five countries and has over 1,250 employees, realising an annual turnover of EUR1 billion. The company's products play a key role in manufacturing numerous industrial products and consumer goods that improve the quality of life. Established in 2015, VYNOVA is the chlor-vinyls platform of the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sinopec Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical has reportedly resumed operations at its newly constructed plant in Guangdong Province, China earlier last week after an explosion at the ethylene oxide (EO) line forced the company to shut down during mid-September 2020, reported CommoPlast.

Market sources said that most of the units are now producing off-specification cargoes and once stabilize the operating rates, the company would immediately kickstart the commercial production.

Started up units including the 1 million tons/year naphtha cracker, two polypropylene (PP) lines with a combined capacity of 550,000 tons/year, and the 350,000 tons/year high density polyethylene (HDPE)/linear low density polyethyleneLLDPE swing plant.

At the time of this report, the 100,000 tons/year low density polyethylene (LDPE) line remains idled without a specific startup schedule.

As MRC informed earlier, Sinopec Zhongke Refinery and Petrochemical has started selling first lots of on-spec PP materials in the open market with limited quantity from its new plant in China in early September, 2020. The company successfully completed the trial run at its newly constructed PP plant, consisting of two lines, and proceeded to commercial production within the month of August.

Thus, No. 1 PP unit with an annual capacity of 350,000 tons/year started producing commercial cargoes on 18 August 2020. The initial output might be homo-PP yarn before the company switches to PP fiber grades. And No. 2 PP line with nameplate capacity of 200,000 tons/year was scheduled to produce commercial cargoes on 24 August 2020, making homo-PP injection and high MI PP copolymer.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,496,500 tonnes in the first eight months of 2020, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of all ethylene polymers increased, except for linear low desnity polyethylene (LLDPE). At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group) is a super-large petroleum and petrochemical enterprise group established in July 1998 on the basis of the former China Petrochemical Corporation. Sinopec Group"s key business activities include the exploration and production of oil and natural gas, petrochemicals and other chemical products, oil refining.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India is "treading very cautiously" in its plan to privatize state-run oil refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), reported Rueters with reference to Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's statement, in a sign that the process could be delayed.

New Delhi's plan to sell its 53.29% stake in BPCL was first announced in November 2019, and is part of a broader program to spin off or sell stakes in dozens of state-owned companies. India had planned to sell the stake by the end of the fiscal year to March 2021.

"Bharat Petroleum divestment is very much on the cards," Pradhan told a virtual energy conference.

"But we all will appreciate looking into the net worth and looking into the size ... the government is treading very cautiously (on) how to offload (the stake) through (a) proper process".

Reuters last month reported that BPCL's privatization could spill over into the next fiscal year that begins in April 2021 and that Saudi Aramco and Russia's Rosneft may not participate in the bid as low oil prices affect their investment plans.

BPCL's shares have tumbled by about 38% from highs seen in November last year as fuel demand in India has been hit by restrictions imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Long term, India's demand for refined products is expected to rise, requiring a 40% increase in the country's refining capacity to 350 MM tons a year or 7 MM barrels per day (bpd) by 2030, Pradhan said.

India plans to build a 1.2 million bpd refinery and petrochemical plant on the country's west coast through a joint venture made up of Indian state refiners, Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.

But the project has been held up as the joint venture has not yet acquired land after protests from farmers.

Pradhan said the local issues impacting the project would be sorted out "very soon."

The minister also said that the federal government planned to gradually end the subsidy on cooking gas.

As MRC informed before, in January 2020, BPCL said it would invest about Rs25,000 crore to set up an ethylene cracker plant at Rasayani, 50 kilometres from its Mumbai refinery, as the firm pushes further into the petrochemicals business to fuel growth.

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

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,496,500 tonnes in the first eight months of 2020, up by 5% year on year. Shipments of all ethylene polymers increased, except for linear low desnity polyethylene (LLDPE). At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market reached 767,2900 tonnes in the eight months of 2020 (calculated using the formula - production minus exports plus imports - and not counting producers' inventories as of 1 January, 2020). Supply increased exclusively of PP random copolymer.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is an Indian state-controlled oil and gas company headquartered in Mumbai, India. Bharat Petroleum owns refineries at Mumbai, Maharashtra and Kochi, Kerala (Kochi Refineries) with a capacity of 12 and 9.5 million metric tonnes per year.
MRC