TechnoNICOL will invest 4 billion rubles in the construction and modernization of plants in Primorye

MOSCOW (MRC) - TechnoNICOL, Europe's largest manufacturer and supplier of roofing, waterproofing and heat-insulating materials, intends to invest 4 billion rubles in the construction and modernization of factories in two Far Eastern regions, TASS reported citing co-owner and managing partner of the corporation Sergey Kolesnikov.

"This year we plan to reconstruct the Khabarovsk plant for the production of mineral insulation. In the near future we have a new investment project in Primorye. We are planning to build a training center and three new plants in the region at once: for the production of rolled bituminous materials, thermal insulation from extruded polystyrene foam ( e-PS, XPS) and an enterprise for the processing of secondary polymers. Now, together with the authorities of the Primorsky Territory, we are looking for a site for the location of enterprises. We plan to invest about 4 billion rubles in the implementation of these projects, "said S. Kolesnikov.

Kolesnikov noted that both the Khabarovsk Territory and Primorye are now actively engaged in construction. Also, the demand for the corporation's products, and these are roofing, waterproofing, soundproofing and heat-insulating materials, is in view of large-scale projects that are being implemented in the Arctic. "In addition, Vladivostok and the Primorsky Territory are a convenient location for export to the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, we are going to introduce new production facilities and reconstruct existing ones," added S. Kolesnikov.

Now the share of export of products from the Khabarovsk cluster of the corporation, which includes a training center and five enterprises for the production of heat and sound insulation materials from stone wool and extruded polystyrene foam, plastic drainage systems, recycling of polymers, remains at the level of 7%. Products are supplied to China, Canada, Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The production site produces 1.2 million cubic meters of heat and sound insulation materials and up to 3 thousand tons of drainage systems per year, and also recycles more than 1,000 tons of polystyrene waste every month. “We plan to send up to 30% of products manufactured at new enterprises in Primorye to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and to implement projects in the Arctic," S. Kolesnikov said.

TechnoNICOL plans to implement a large investment project in the Saratov region. In 2022, a plant for the production of SHINGLAS soft roofing bitumen tiles and HAUBERK facade tiles will appear in the region. When it reaches full capacity, the plant will produce up to 8 million m2 of finished products per year.

In general, TechnoNICOL intends to invest 60 billion rubles in the Russian economy in the next five years. Such data was announced by the head of the Corporation at the XXIV St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

As noted earlier, TechnoNICOL plans to install two new extrusion lines in Poland and Russia. The Italian company BG Plast (Italy) signed a contract with TechnoNICOL for the supply of two extrusion lines for the production of dimpled sheet membranes with and without a geotextile joint, 2000 mm and 4000 mm wide.

Earlier it was reported that TechnoNICOL launched the first line in Russia for the production of geocomposite polymer membranes for underground insulation on the basis of the Logikruf plant (Ryazan). This line will produce PVC membranes for tunnels and underground structures and a geocomposite based on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) up to 6 mm thick for insulation of hydraulic structures. The line's capacity will be 5 million m2 of finished products per year. The company allocated over 450 million rubles for the project.

According to MRC's ScanPlast, in May the total production of unmixed PVC in Russia amounted to 86.1 thousand tons versus 86.6 thousand tons a month earlier, RusVinyl reduced the capacity utilization level. The total volume of polymer production in January - May 2021 amounted to 432.1 thousand tons, which corresponds to the indicator a year earlier. A decrease in production volumes was recorded for two manufacturers; it was possible to increase the production of resin from the Bashkir Soda Company and "Kaustik" (Volgograd).

TechnoNICOL Corporation is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of hydro, heat and sound insulation. The company includes 49 factories in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and the Czech Republic, its own trade network of 140 branches and consulates in 33 countries. The company was founded in 1992 by Sergey Kolesnikov and Igor Rybakov.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Enterprise Products Partners L.P. and NOVA Chemicals Corporation has announced that a subsidiary of Enterprise has acquired a wholly owned subsidiary of NOVA Chemicals, which operates an ethylene storage business and trading hub in Mont Belvieu, Texas, reported BusinessWire.

NOVA Chemicals, one of the largest merchant ethylene producers and marketers on the US Gulf Coast, will be a long-term storage customer in the Enterprise system.

“The acquisition, which gives Enterprise ownership of the largest ethylene market hub in Texas since it was established in 2001, will complement Enterprise’s own growing ethylene network in the region,” said Chris D’Anna, senior vice president, Petrochemicals of Enterprise’s general partner. “The combined system offers multiple benefits for producers, consumers and traders, such as increased physical connectivity, greater market liquidity and pricing transparency, as well as improved access to Enterprise’s ethylene midstream services, including our export terminal and growing Gulf Coast pipeline system.”

“This transaction provides the best long-term solution for the Mont Belvieu ethylene storage business and trading hub, allowing NOVA to focus on our core business of ethylene and polyethylene production, including the safe and successful completion of our world-class Advanced SCLAIRTECH technology facility in Ontario that will deliver recycle ready resins for sustainable packaging solutions,” stated John Thayer, senior vice president sales and marketing for NOVA Chemicals.

As MRC informed earlier, NOVA Chemical has declared force majeure (FM) on ethylene shipments from its cracker in Geismar, Louisiana due to an unexpected production shutdown. The 885,000 mt/year of ethylene and 45,000 mt/year of propylene cracker in Geismar was shut on 14 June for unplanned repairs owing to a technical issue. The cracker was expected to remain off-line until end-June, and FM was also to remain in effect for about two weeks.

Ethylene is the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased.

Enterprise Products Partners L.P. is one of the largest publicly traded partnerships and a leading North American provider of midstream energy services to producers and consumers of natural gas, NGLs, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals.

NOVA Chemicals develops and manufactures chemicals and plastic resins that make everyday life healthier, easier and safer. NOVA Chemicals, headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is wholly owned ultimately by Mubadala Investment Company of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG) and Vynova Group announced the appointment of Christophe Andre as new President of Vynova Group, with effect from 1 September 2021, according to Bordeless.

Christophe Andre will succeed Stefan Sommer, who will retire as President of Vynova Group and assume the role of Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Vynova Holding.

Stefan Sommer (63) has held the role of President of Vynova Group since the company’s foundation on 1 August 2015. He will retire on 1 September 2021 and will join Vynova’s parent company ICIG on 1 January 2022 as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Vynova Holding. Stefan Sommer will also continue to represent Vynova Group in key European PVC- and plastics-related industry associations such as VinylPlus, the European Council of Vinyl Manufacturers (ECVM) and PlasticsEurope. Until the end of 2021, he will support the Vynova Management Board in the transition to his successor.

Christophe Andre (50) holds engineering and economics master degrees from Telecom Paris and ESSEC as well as an MBA from INSEAD. He has held various international senior management positions at specialty chemicals manufacturer Rohm and Haas, where he served as European head of the Monomers and Adhesives business lines, and he has held the position of Managing Director at paper manufacturer Arjowiggins Graphic. In his last roles, Christophe Andre served at specialty chemicals company Arkema as Group President of the global Thiochemicals activities and, since 2016, as a member of Arkema’s Executive Committee in charge of the Advanced Materials business portfolio.

As MRC informed previously, in late October, 2020, European chlor-alkali and polyvinyl cloride (PVC) producer VYNOVA resumed operations at its PVC plant in Beek, the Netherlands. The producer was also preparing to restart production at its Mazingarbe plant in France then. PVC plants were then restarted after the return of the producer’s monomer vinyl cloride (VCM) unit in Tessenderlo, Belgium from a maintenance shutdown, which supplies feedstock to both PVC plants. Vynova’s Beek plant has a PVC production capacity of 225,000 tons/year, while the Mazingarbe plant can produce 250,000 tons/year of PVC. Meanwhile, the company’s Tessenderlo site produces 740,000 tons/year of VCM.

According to MRC's DataScope report, imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) into Russia reached 14,600 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, up by 48% year on year. At the same time, exports decreased by 10% year on year.

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) -- Indian state refiners' gasoline and gasoil sales rose in June compared with a month earlier, preliminary industry data showed on Thursday, as states across the country eased coronavirus-related restrictions as cases fell, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Gasoline sales by state refiners rose 29.4%, while diesel sales were up 18.5% in June compared with May, the data showed. Sales had declined by about a fifth in May from a month earlier due to lockdowns across the country.

Sales of gasoline were up 5.7% from the same period in the previous year, but diesel sales were down 1.8%, the data showed.

Meanwhile, as MRC informed earlier, Indian refiners, anticipating a lifting of US sanctions, plan to make space for the resumption of Iranian imports by reducing spot crude oil purchases in the second half of the year. The worldэs third-largest oil consumer and importer halted imports from Tehran in 2019 after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 accord and re-imposed sanctions on the OPEC producer over its disputed nuclear programme.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC

1. 76% of employees have antibodies to COVID-19 at Tomskneftekhim

MOSCOW (MRC) --- 76% of employees have antibodies to COVID-19 at Tomskneftekhim, the press service of the enterprise reports. Nevertheless, at the Tomsk enterprises of SIBUR, a mandatory mask regime remains, as well as the need to observe social distance in personal interaction and other measures to prevent infection with COVID-19. The press service of the enterprise notes that the collective immunity at Tomskneftekhim has developed from people who have had COVID-19, including asymptomatic ones, as well as vaccinated employees. Before the start of the mass vaccination against COVID-19 in Tomsk, all employees of Tomskneftekhim were tested for antibodies. SIBUR, as a responsible employer, contributes to providing employees with the maximum information to make an informed and balanced decision, as well as to provide them with the opportunity to get vaccinated.

MRC