Indian Oil to build first green hydrogen plant in the country at its Mathura refinery

Indian Oil to build first green hydrogen plant in the country at its Mathura refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) -- India's largest oil firm Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will build the nation's first 'green hydrogen' plant at its Mathura refinery, as it aims to prepare for a future catering to the growing demand for both oil and cleaner forms of energy, according to Business Stanard.

IOC has drawn a strategic growth path that aims to maintain focus on its core refining and fuel marketing businesses while making bigger inroads into petrochemicals, hydrogen and electric mobility over the next 10 years, its chairman Shrikant Madhav Vaidya said.

The company will not set captive power plants at all its future refinery and petrochemical expansion projects and instead use the 250 MW of electricity it produces from renewable sources like solar power, he told PTI in an interview.

"We have a wind power project in Rajasthan. We intend to wheel that power to our Mathura refinery and use that electricity to produce absolutely green hydrogen through electrolysis," he said.

This will be the nation's first green hydrogen unit. Previously, projects have been announced to produce 'grey hydrogen' using fossil fuels such as natural gas.

Green hydrogen production - the ultimate clean hydrogen resource - uses renewable energy to create hydrogen fuel.

IOC's refinery expansion plans include raising the capacity of units at Panipat in Haryana and Barauni in Bihar and setting up a new unit near Chennai.

"We are going to add 25 million tonnes of our refining capacity by the year 2023-24. We are 80.5 million tonnes now including CPCL, we are going to be 105 million tonnes," he said.

Vaidya said IOC was pushing ahead with research on carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies - space where it is seeking global collaboration to meet its Paris climate goals. Hydrogen, he said, would be a fuel of the future. IOC is planning to set up several hydrogen production units on a pilot basis.

This includes a project at Gujarat refinery to produce finite purity hydrogen of 99.9999 per cent for hydrogen fuel cell buses. "Today, 50 buses in Delhi are being fueled by hydrogen-spiked compressed natural gas, or H-CNG, which has 18 per cent hydrogen content," he said adding hydrogen fuel cell buses will be put to service on iconic routes of Vadodara-Sabarmati and Vadodara-Statue of Unity, Kevedia.

"About 15 fuel-cell-powered buses, with the fuel cells entirely India-made, are expected to ply in the second half of 2021. Since running these buses would require hydrogen, IOC is setting up a plant, whose capacity could be anywhere between 200 tonnes and 400 tonnes per day," he added.

Petroleum refining and marketing will continue to be IOC's core businesses with much higher petrochemicals integration. Also, gas will play a larger role and the firm will have a presence in electric mobility space through charging stations at petrol pumps and a planned battery manufacturing unit.

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 world's 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 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

Chandra Asri to supply distributes liquid oxygen to several hospitals in DKI Jakarta and Banten

Chandra Asri to supply distributes liquid oxygen to several hospitals in DKI Jakarta and Banten

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PT Chandra Asri Tbk (TPIA), a petrochemical company, distributes 210 tons of liquid oxygen to several hospitals in DKI Jakarta and Banten, said the company.

This supply would answer the demand for liquid oxygen regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response. Erwin Ciputra, President Director of Chandra Asri, claims that the liquid oxygen provision is a way of the company helping the COVID-19 patients in hospitals. “This relief would be channelled to Mayapada Hospitals in Jakarta and Banten, which are a part of Indonesia Regional Hospitals Association,” Ciputra explains in a press conference.

According to Ciputra, the overflowing liquid oxygen demand rises following the surge in COVID-19 cases. As a result, the government is boosting liquid oxygen production up to 922.9 tons per day from its current maximum production capacity of 1,700 tons per day.

On the other occasion, Jonathan Tahir, CEO of Mayapada Healthcare Group, confirms that Chandra Asri delivers 90 tons of liquid oxygen to Mayada. “These would assist the patients currently struggling with COVID-19,” he adds.

The need for liquid oxygen jumps to 1,000 tons per day from the previous 400 tons per day. With this massive surge of COVID-9 cases, the government even predicts the number could go up to 2,600 tons per day.

As per MRC, last year, Chandra Asri (CAP), one of the largest petrochemical producers in Indonesia, received commercial products in the second week of July at its linear polyethylene (LDL) / low density polyethylene (HDPE) plant in Cilegon (Cilegon, Indonesia) and started the process there. capacity building. So, since May 22, the company was forced to reduce the capacity utilization at this enterprise with a capacity of 400 thousand tons of LLDPE / HDPE per year due to various technical problems.

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 density polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased.

Основные владельцы Chandra Asri – таиландская Siam Cement Group (30%) и индонезийская PT Barito Pacific и (64,87%).
MRC

Sika acquires American Hydrotech in the USA and its affiliate Hydrotech Membrane Corporation in Canada

Sika acquires American Hydrotech in the USA and its affiliate Hydrotech Membrane Corporation in Canada

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Sika, a producer of construction chemicals, has acquired American Hydrotech Inc. in the USA and its affiliate Hydrotech Membrane Corporation in Canada, as per the company's press release.

Hydrotech is an experienced and highly regarded liquid membrane manufacturer and provider of full-system roofing and waterproofing solutions. In the fastgrowing green/garden roof segment, Hydrotech is the clear North American market leader.

The acquisition strengthens Sika’s roofing and waterproofing portfolio, and complements Sika’s sustainability focus. In 2020, the acquired company generated sales of CHF 83 million.

With this acquisition, Sika will become the number one supplier of green roofs in North America. Furthermore, Sika gains a new growth platform with the expanded offering of complete roofing and waterproofing systems. The two companies have a similar corporate culture with highly motivated people and a strong focus on sustainable, reliable, long-lasting, solutions and customer relationships, and therefore fit together perfectly.

As MRC informed earlier, in November 2020, Sika commissioned a manufacturing facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), which produces epoxy resins aimed at flooring solutions. Sika has decided to invest in the expansion of its manufacturing facilities at the Dubai site in order to increase flexibility in production, shorten delivery times, optimize cost structures, and reduce inventories.

And in April 2021, Sika expanded its production capacity for concrete admixtures and has started manufacturing epoxy resins in Qatar. Epoxy resins are key components in high-quality floor coverings and adhesives. With its enlarged portfolio and its local production capacity, Sika wants to exploit market potential and drive forward the focused expansion of its business in the region.

Sika is a specialty chemicals company with a leading position in the development and production of systems and products for bonding, sealing, damping, reinforcing, and protecting in the building sector and motor vehicle industry. Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world and manufactures in over 200 factories. Its more than 20,000 employees generated annual sales of CHF 7.09 billion in 2018.
MRC

Dow Q2 sales and profits soar

Dow Q2 sales and profits soar

MOSCOW (MRC) - Dow Inc's second-quarter profit doubled from the previous quarter on the back of rising polymer prices, demand and declining inventories, the company said.

Prices were up 16% from the prior period and volumes were up 1%, boosted by increased demand in the infrastructure, industrial and personal care markets.

Net operating income increased in the first quarter by USD2.06 billion, or USD2.72 per share, from USD1.02 billion, or USD1.36 per share, to USD2.06 billion in the third quarter.

Earlier it was reported that Dow Chemical, one of the largest US petrochemical companies, on 19 July began the process of restarting production at its cracker No.7 in Freeport (Freeport, TX, USA) after a technological disruption earlier this month.

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.

Dow Chemical is an American diversified chemical company headquartered in Midland, Michigan. It is a major manufacturer of polymer products, including polystyrene, polyurethane, polyethylene, polypropylene and synthetic rubbers. The company produces more than five thousand products at 188 production facilities in 37 countries.
MRC

AkzoNobel to reduce supply chain emissions by 42% by 2030

AkzoNobel to reduce supply chain emissions by 42% by 2030

MOSCOW (MRC) -- AkzoNobel’s target is to reduce carbon emissions for the whole value chain by 42% by 2030 (baseline 2020). This will apply to the company’s own operations, as well as its partners, such as customers and suppliers, as per the company's press release.

Currently being officially validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the target will further sharpen and accelerate the company’s vision for its own People. Planet. Paint. approach to sustainable business, which was launched in 2019.

AkzoNobel has become the first paints and coatings company to follow up on its commitment to setting science-based sustainability targets by announcing carbon reduction targets for the full value chain. The company has aligned its own sustainability ambitions with the Paris agreement, which aims to limit global warming and ensure that global temperature rise does not exceed 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels.

“Setting a target like this really matters,” says AkzoNobel CEO, Thierry Vanlancker. “It’s a clear signal that we’re preparing to mobilize our teams globally and take stronger action to tackle climate change. We need to act fast and focus on collaboration and innovation. When push comes to shove, there are those who contribute towards a zero carbon future and those who don't. We’re determined to do all we can and set the example by being the frontrunner in our industry.”

AkzoNobel has already taken great strides forward with its People. Planet. Paint. approach and is forging ahead of target on two key environmental ambitions – halving its own carbon emissions and having 100% renewable electricity in the company’s operations by 2030. To highlight this strong progress, it was recently announced that AkzoNobel would operate only on renewable electricity in Europe by 2022.

As MRC wrote before, AkzoNobel has strengthened its paints business and footprint in Spain by completing the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Spanish decorative paints maker Titan Paints for an undisclosed fee in March, 2021.

We remind that Russia's output of chemical products rose in March 2021 by 5.4% year on year. Thus, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 6.7% in the first moths months of 2021.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, AkzoNobel is active in over 150 countries and employ around 33,000 people who deliver the high-performance products and services customers expect.
MRC