US crude stockpiles up for first time since May on higher imports

US crude stockpiles up for first time since May on higher imports

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US crude oil stockpiles rose last week, breaking a streak of eight weeks of declines, as imports surged to their highest in a year, reported Reuters with reference to the Energy Information Administration's statement.

Crude inventories rose by 2.1 million barrels in week to July 16 to 439.7 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 4.5 million-barrel drop.

US crude imports last week rose to 7.1 million barrels per day (bpd), their highest since July 2020, boosting net crude imports to their loftiest since December at 4.6 million bpd. Exports also dropped 1.6 million bpd as the price differential between US crude futures and Brent crude has narrowed, making exports less attractive to foreign buyers.

Crude stocks have steadily declined throughout the year as overall demand rose and due to relatively tight supply worldwide with major oil producers constraining demand. This week, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies including Russia agreed to boost output.

Refinery operations were largely steady with crude runs down 86,000 bpd and utilization rates edged 0.4 percentage point lower to 91.4% in the week.

As MRC informed earlier, Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude oil exporter, will supply full contractual volumes of August-loading crude to at least five Asian customers. However, Saudi Aramco has turned down two of the buyers' requests for extra barrels.

We remind that Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), said in June he expects the company's deal with Saudi Aramco to materialise this year. Meanwhile, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco and the Governor of the Public Investment Fund, joined the board of Reliance as an independent director.

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 953,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, which virtually corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High denisty polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 607,8900 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 33% year on year. Shipments of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas deliveries of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC

Lukoil begins construction of a polypropylene plant in the Nizhny Novgorod region

MOSCOW (MRC) - Lukoil, the second largest oil company in Russia, has begun construction of a polypropylene (PP) production complex at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery in the city of Kstovo, the company said.

It is noted that the complex will become the largest polypropylene production facility in Russia integrated into an oil refinery. The raw material for polypropylene production at Lukoil's Nizhny Novgorod site will be propylene from two modernized catalytic cracking units with a capacity of 4 million tons per year. After putting the complex into operation, the enterprise will be able to produce about 500 thousand tons of polypropylene grades.

In May, it was reported that Lukoil is still studying the prospects for the construction of a polypropylene production complex at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery and may make a final decision in 2022.

Earlier it was reported that Lukoil selected Lummus Technology's Novolen polypropylene (PP) technology for its previously announced new petrochemical plant in Kstovo, Russia. Lummus received a contract from a Russian oil company for the supply of a technological license for a polypropylene plant with a capacity of 500 thousand tons per year, as well as for basic engineering, training, services and the supply of catalysts.

According to MRC's ScanPlast, PP supplies to the Russian market in January - May this year reached to 607,890 tonnes, which is 33% more than the same indicator a year earlier. The supply of propylene homopolymer and propylene block copolymers also increased. The supply of stat-copolymer propylene (PP-random) has declined.

Lukoil is one of the leading vertically integrated oil companies in Russia. The main activities of the company include operations for the exploration and production of oil and gas, production and sale of petroleum products. Lukoil is the second largest privately-owned oil company in the world in terms of proven hydrocarbon reserves. The structure of Lukoil includes one of the largest petrochemical enterprises in Russia - Stavrolen.
MRC

Lukoil launches bitumen production at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery

Lukoil launches bitumen production at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) - Lukoil, the second largest oil company in the Russian Federation, has begun construction of a polymer-bitumen binders production facility at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod refinery in the city of Kstovo, the company said.

The plant's capacity exceeds 150 thousand tons during the production season. "The launch of the block will be another contribution of Lukoil to improving the quality of roads in Russia and the implementation of federal targeted programs for the development of the road construction industry," the press service of the company said.

Lukoil notes that the launch of a bitumen production unit at the Nizhny Novgorod refinery will expand the company's range of bitumen materials through modified products and produce innovative polymer-bitumen binders. The use of these products contributes to the durability of the road surface.

The launch of production makes the enterprise the largest bitumen producer in the company structure. The project will help meet the needs of the central region of Russia during the peak seasons of road construction.

Earlier it was reported that Lukoil began construction of a complex for the production of polypropylene (PP) on the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod refinery in the city of Kstovo. The raw material for polypropylene production at Lukoil's Nizhny Novgorod site will be propylene from two modernized catalytic cracking units with a capacity of 4 million tons per year. After putting the complex into operation, the enterprise will be able to produce about 500 thousand tons of polypropylene grades.

According to MRC's ScanPlast, PP supplies to the Russian market in January - May this year amounted to 607.89 thousand tons, which is 33% more than the same indicator a year earlier. The supply of propylene homopolymer (PP-homo) and propylene block copolymer (PP-block) also increased. The supply of stat-copolymer propylene (PP-random) has declined.

Lukoil is one of the leading vertically integrated oil companies in Russia. The main activities of the company include operations for the exploration and production of oil and gas, production and sale of petroleum products. Lukoil is the second largest privately-owned oil company in the world in terms of proven hydrocarbon reserves. The structure of Lukoil includes one of the largest petrochemical enterprises in Russia - Stavrolen.
MRC

PQ Group to change name to Ecovyst

PQ Group to change name to Ecovyst

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PQ Group Holdings Inc., a leading integrated and innovative global provider of specialty catalysts and services, has announced that as early as August 2, 2021, the company intends to change its corporate name to Ecovyst Inc. following the targeted closing of the Performance Chemicals business sale, according to BusinessWire.

Ecovyst Inc. will comprise two businesses, Ecoservices and Catalyst Technologies, formerly Refining Services and Catalysts, respectively.

Ecovyst common shares will continue trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol, ECVT, with a new CUSIP number of 27923Q 109, which is expected to occur on or about August 3, 2021.

As MRC reported earlier, in December 2019, PQ Group Holdings Inc. announced an agreement with INEOS Polyolefin Catalysts to commercialize certain polyethylene (PE) catalysts to customers of selected processes.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 953,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, which virtually corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High denisty polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased.

PQ Group Holdings Inc. is a leading integrated and innovative global provider of specialty catalysts, chemicals and services. The company supports customers globally through our strategically located network of manufacturing facilities. The company has three uniquely positioned specialty businesses: Refining Services provides sulfuric acid recycling to the North American refining industry; Catalysts serves the packaging and engineering plastics and the global refining, petrochemical and emissions control industries; and Performance Chemicals supplies diverse product end uses, including personal and industrial cleaning products, fuel efficient tires, surface coatings, and food and beverage products.
MRC

Geon Performance Solutions expands its PVC compounding lines

Geon Performance Solutions expands its PVC compounding lines

MOSCOW (MRC) -- GEON Performance Solutions is making significant investments in additional, new, state-of-the-art equipment to enhance its North America capacity and innovation capabilities, said the company.

The expansion is already underway at the company’s facility in Dyersburg, Tennessee with a new wire and cable flexible line slated for operation at full capacity by the end of July. GEON will also convert one of its existing compounding lines in Dyersburg to PVC compounding. It is expected that the conversion will be operational by year-end. These expansions represent a significant diversification of GEON’s compounding capabilities. The Dyersburg facility manages contract-tolling services for many Fortune 50 companies and polypropylene production for the automotive industry. During the pandemic, it was idled for an extended period due to its dependency on automotive production. This expansion should diversify the markets served and help to mitigate future impacts of market slowdowns.

These two lines represent an additional 120M lbs. in capacity investment and will further strengthen the company’s PVC compounding capabilities. GEON continues to bring value-added process technology to customers, enabling them to differentiate their products in automotive, wire & cable and building & construction applications.

“This represents another major step forward for GEON as an innovation leader in the industry and is an integral part of our strategic plan for the company,” says Tracy Garrison, Chief Executive Officer of GEON. “This capital investment in capacity and technology will expand our innovation capabilities across our PVC, polypropylene and plasticizer businesses, and provide us the ability to grow with best in class assets."

This announcement comes at a time when the petrochemical industry is suffering from raw material shortages due to winter storm URI that caused electricity outages and plant shutdowns on the gulf coast. GEON, having multiple facilities across the country, helped customers to navigate their supply issues. This new investment will allow GEON to deliver even greater reliability and options for production.

"We continue to proactively serve our customers by anticipating needs and studying market trends,” says Garrison. “Our investments reflect our growth as a company and further demonstrate our commitment to our customers and innovation." In addition to these investments, GEON has unlocked over 20M lbs. of additional annualized capacity utilizing Lean Six Sigman methodology (LSS).

Earlier it was reported that the production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the US and Canada in June significantly exceeded the average for the past five years, as domestic sales rose sharply. PVC production in the United States was halted due to February frosts along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana when they were forced to turn off their electricity.

According to the ICIS-MRC Price Report, the Russian PVC market remains unchanged, a serious shortage of resin remains, and prices have reached another record high. By Monday, the Bashkir Soda Company and Sayanskkhimplast stopped their production for routine maintenance.

GEON Performance Solutions is a global leader in the formulation, development and manufacture of performance polymer solutions. With a portfolio of highly adaptable vinyl and polyolefin polymer technologies as well as a full-service manufacturing business, GEON combines three powerful traditions into a single, customer-focused business. GEON Performance Solutions is a leading innovator in the development of performance material solutions for a broad range of markets including appliances, building & construction, electronics, healthcare, transportation, wire & cable and more. GEON Performance Solutions has 1,100 global associates and 10 world-class manufacturing plants with headquarters in a western suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Visit geon.com to learn more. GEON Performance Solutions is a portfolio company of SK Capital Partners.
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