NOVA Chemicals to sell expandable styrenics business to Alpek

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Nova Chemicals (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) has agreed to sell its expandable styrenics business to a subsidiary of Alpek (Monterrey, Mexico) for an undisclosed sum, said Chemweek.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter, it says. The sale encompasses Nova’s expandable polystyrene (EPS) and Arcel-brand resin product lines, with manufacturing facilities in Monaca, Pennsylvania, and Painesville, Ohio, as well as commercial operations in Asia, it says. The plant at Monaca has an EPS production capacity of 123,000 metric tons/year, with 36,000 metric tons/year of capacity for Arcel, as well as an R&D pilot plant. The facility at Painesville has an EPS capacity of 45,000 metric tons/year, according to Alpek subsidiary Styropek, which is acquiring Nova’s business.

Nova, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Co. (Abu Dhabi, UAE), says the sale is an “important step” in its plan to focus on its olefin and polyethylene (PE) business, which includes additional investments to advance a circular economy for plastics. The transaction, if it proceeds to completion, would see Nova entirely exit the styrenics sector.

The sale will provide the company with “immediate cash generation to further strengthen our balance sheet,” says Luis Sierra, Nova’s president and CEO, and enable it to focus on the completion and start-up of its 450,000-metric tons/year PE plant under construction in Ontario. The new plant, as well as the expansion of the company’s existing Corunna steam cracker that will supply ethylene feedstock to the adjacent PE facility, is scheduled for completion in late 2021.

Alpek sees “strong business opportunities associated with this purchase,” says Jose de Jesus Valdez, Alpek’s CEO. “Our team is focused on executing a seamless integration to welcome our new team members, while quickly capitalizing on all the identified synergies and business opportunities,” he says.

The company says it will optimize costs at its newly acquired facilities and that the additional sites will allow it to serve both existing and new customers with increased efficiency and lower logistics costs. It intends to continue growing its business in the construction and reusable packaging segments, both of which require long-term use of EPS, as well as developing more sustainable products, such as biodegradable EPS, it adds.

According to ICIS-MRC Price Report, Russian HIPS and GPPS producers traditionally did not adjust their prices of material in the middle of the month. A shortage of Nizhnekamskneftekhim's material remained in the domestic market. The situation with the shortage of Russian polystyrene (PS) is also expected to remain in November.

Alpek operates two main business segments, focused on polyester, and plastics and chemicals, and is a leading producer of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). It is also the largest EPS manufacturer in the Americas.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Royal Dutch Shell plc. said that its petrochemical complex of several billion dollars in Western Pennsylvania is about 70% complete and in the process to enter service in the early 2020s, as per the company's press release.

The news was disclosed by Hilary Mercer, vice president of Shell Polymers via an online presentation at Shale Insight 2020 conference.

Currently under construction, the plant is in Beaver County, about 48 km northwest of Pittsburgh, and will be self-sustained with its natural gas power plant and water treatment facility.

The plant’s costs are estimated to be USD6-USD10 billion, where ethane will be transformed into plastic feedstock. The facility is equipped to produce 1.5 million metric tons per year (mmty) of ethylene and 1.6 mmty of polyethylene (PE), two important constituents of plastics.

As MRC reported earlier, the COVID-19 outbreak led Shell Chemical to temporarily suspend construction on the massive plastics and petrochemicals site it's building in Monaca, Pa, in March, 2020.

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.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Azelis, a leading distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, is excited to announce it has opened a new application and training center in Istanbul, Turkey, said the company.

This center will service the Turkish food, personal care and pharma markets and will offer product advice, formulation development and technical research. Next to that, it will host customer meetings, interactive formulation workshops, supplier meetings and internal technical trainings.

The Azelis Turkey application and training center will be used for product advice, formulation development and technical research. It will also function as a knowledge center for workshops, meetings and internal trainings.

This new application and training center fits Azelis’ strategy to be an innovation service provider to the industry.
In December 2019 Azelis acquired Ekin Kimya, a leading supplier of high-quality chemicals to pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, laboratory sectors in Turkey and surrounding countries. The combined team of experts will work together to create synergies across businesses, which sees the Azelis Turkey application and training center servicing no less than three Azelis market segments: Food & Health, Personal Care and Pharma.

As mRC informed earlier, Huntsman’s Advanced Materials business is proud to announce the expansion of our Pan-American business relationship with our preferred distribution partner, Azelis Americas CASE, LLC in the US and Azelis Canada, Inc. in Canada.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in August 2020 by 5% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 5.3% in the first eight months of 2020, according to Rosstat's data. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the January-July output. August production of benzene fell to 102,000 tonnes from 95,300 tonnes a month earlier due to scheduled shutdowns for maintenance at several producers. Overall output of this product reached 918,300 tonnes over the stated period, down by 0.9% year on year.

At the same time, August production of primary polymers rose to 888,000 tonnes against 838,000 tonnes in July due to increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim, Stavrolen and Gazprom neftekhim Salavat. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 6,630,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 15.2% year on year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Covestro says it has received its first delivery of certified renewable phenol from Borealis, to be used as a drop-in feedstock for the production of polycarbonate plastic, said Borealis.

The phenol is manufactured by Borealis using renewable hydrocarbons feedstock supplied by Neste, sourced from waste and residual oils and fats.

The first 1,000-metric ton batch of renewable phenol is part of a strategic collaboration among the three companies to increase the use of alternative raw materials and drive forward the circular economy, they say in a joint statement. The product’s renewable supply chain is verified by the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) process.

"By cooperating with upstream partners such as Neste and Borealis, we are showing how a sustainable value chain can work,” says Covestro’s CEO Markus Steilemann. Delivering renewable phenol to Covestro shows the companies are “at the forefront of driving the circular economy,” says Alfred Stern, Borealis CEO. The drop-in nature of the product shows its suitability for a continuously increasing number of demanding applications, and showcases how sustainability-focused collaboration among companies can “make a positive impact, even within a complex value chain," according to Peter Vanacker, Neste’s CEO.

Covestro, which has stated plans to make sustainability the heart of its growth strategy, will use the renewable PCs in the automotive and electronics sectors.

As MRC informed earlier, Covestro has launched a new production line for polycarbonate (PC) films in the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate in Thailand.

As MRC reported earlier, Covestro has closed the sale of its European polycarbonates (PC) sheets business to the Munich-based Serafin Group effective January 2, 2020. This includes key management and sales functions throughout Europe as well as production sites in Belgium and Italy.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, overall estimated consumption of PC granules in the Russian market reached 58,000 tonnes in January-July 2020, up by 22% year on year (47,500 tonnes).

Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is an independent subgroup within Bayer. It was created as part of the restructuring of Bayer AG from the former business group Bayer Polymers, with certain of its activities being spun off to Lanxess AG. Covestro manufactures and develops materials such as coatings, adhesives and sealants, polycarbonates (CDs, DVDs), polyurethanes (automotive seating, insulation for refrigerating appliances) etc. With 2019 sales of EUR12.4 billion, Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 17,200 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2019.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The European Commission has recently presented its 2030 climate target plan, in which it sets out a program to reduce EU greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 1990, despite a call from the European Parliament in September for GHG emissions to be reduced 60% by 2030, reported Chemweek.

The new target is based on a comprehensive assessment of the social, economic, and environmental impacts, which shows that this “course of action is realistic and feasible,” the Commission says.

The raised target puts the EU on a balanced pathway to reaching climate neutrality by 2050 and underlines the EU's continued global leadership in this area, ahead of the next UN climate conference (COP26), it says.

“We are doing everything in our power to keep the promise that we made to Europeans: make Europe the first climate-neutral continent in the world, by 2050. Today marks a major milestone in this journey. With the new target to cut EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, we will lead the way to a cleaner planet and a green recovery. Europe will emerge stronger from the [COVID-19] pandemic by investing in a resource-efficient circular economy, promoting innovation in clean technology and creating green jobs,” says Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.

The plan includes an amendment to the proposed European climate law, which aims to write into legislation a goal set out in the EU Green Deal, to include the 2030 emissions-reduction target of at least 55% as a stepping stone to the 2050 climate-neutrality goal, the Commission says.

It also includes a call to the European Parliament and European Council to confirm the 55% target as the EU's new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, and to submit this to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by the end of this year, it says.

It also sets out the legislative proposals to be presented by June 2021 to implement the new target, including revising and expanding the EU Emissions Trading System; adapting the Effort Sharing Regulation and the framework for land use emissions; reinforcing energy efficiency and renewable energy policies; and strengthening CO2 standards for road vehicles, the Commission says.

In September, Germany’s chemical industry association VCI (Frankfurt) defined the proposed tightening of the EU GHG emission–reduction target for 2030 from 40% to 55%, as extremely ambitious. However, the Commission says that its assessment shows that the EU is on track to surpass its current 2030 emissions reduction target of at least 40%.

“Based on existing policies and the plans of member states, we are on course to surpass our current 40% target for 2030. This shows that being more ambitious is not only necessary, but also realistic,” says Kadri Simson, EU commissioner for energy.

Achieving 55% GHG emissions reductions will require action in all sectors of the economy, the Commission says. The EU will have to increase energy efficiency and the share of renewable energy even more, to reach the new goal of 55%, and this will now be subject to further consultation and analysis before legislative proposals are presented by the Commission in June 2021, it says.

“The energy system will be at the heart of this effort. We will build on the success story of the European renewables sector, look at all the tools at our disposal to increase our energy efficiency, and lay a firm foundation for a greener Europe,” Simson says.

The Commission says it has also adopted today rules for a new EU renewable energy financing mechanism, to make it easier for member states to work together to finance and deploy renewable energy projects.

According to the Commission, the new 2030 climate target will also assist Europe's economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, by stimulating investments in a resource-efficient economy, promoting innovation in clean technology, fostering competitiveness, and creating green jobs. It also notes that member states can draw on the €750-billion ($885 billion) NextGenerationEU recovery fund and the EU's next long-term budget to make these investments in the green transition.

“In this crucial moment for our health, our economy, and for global climate action, it is essential that Europe leads the way to a green recovery,” says Frans Timmermans, Commission executive vice president for the European Green Deal.

As MRC informed earlier, in October, 2020, the European Commission adopted the EU's chemicals strategy for sustainability, describing it as the first step towards a zero-pollution ambition for a toxic-free environment announced in the European Green Deal.

We remind that Russia"s output of chemical products rose in August 2020 by 5% year on year. At the same time, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 5.3% in the first eight months of 2020, according to Rosstat"s data. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, polymers in primary form accounted for the greatest increase in the January-August output. August production of primary polymers rose to 888,000 tonnes against 838,000 tonnes in July due to increased capacity utilisation at ZapSibNeftekhim, Stavrolen and Gazprom neftekhim Salavat. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 6,630,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 15.2% year on year.

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.
MRC