Crude oil futures down in Asia amid concerns over the resurgent spread of COVID-19

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crude oil futures fell in mid-morning trade in Asia Aug. 2 amid concerns over the resurgent spread of COVID-19, after the weekend brought a slew of reports of rising cases in China and parts of Southeast Asia, reported S&P Global.

At 10:55 am Singapore time (0255 GMT), the ICE October Brent futures contract was down USD1.08/b (1.43%) from the previous close at USD74.33/b, while the NYMEX September light sweet crude contract was 96 cents/b (1.30%) lower at USD72.99/b.

China on Aug. 1 reported 75 new COVID-19 cases, up from 55 the day before and the country's highest daily total in months. Authorities are now scrambling to contain outbreaks of the delta variant in several tourism-heavy cities, including Hainan Island and Zhangjiajie in Hunan province.

More than 1 million people have been placed under lockdown in Zhangjiajie, according to news reports.

"The weekend brought more discouraging headlines over the spread of the delta variant," said Vandana Hari of Vanda Insights.

"Especially worrisome for oil markets is the resurgence in China. It is the second largest oil consumer in the world and for many months, it has managed to keep COVID-19 in check until now," Hari added.

Lockdowns were also announced or extended in other parts of Asia, including Australia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The recent outbreaks will dampen hopes by investors that the global vaccination drive will keep the COVID-19 situation in check, analysts said.

"Clearly, COVID-19 still poses a risk to the demand recovery, particularly in countries where vaccination rates are still low," ING analysts Warren Patterson and Wenyu Yao said in a note.

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

MOSCOW (MRC) - Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical, a subsidiary of one of the world's largest energy and chemical companies - Sinopec, plans to shut down four linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) plants in Tianjin in northeast China for scheduled repairs on 10 August, 202q, according to CommoPlast.

It is expected that the turnaround at these plants, which can produce 70,000 mt/year (No. 1 plant), 70,000 mt/year (No. 2 plant), 140,000 mt/year (No. 3 plant) and 250,000 mt/year (No. 4 plant) of LLDPE, will last for about 50 days.

As MRC reported earlier, the company took off-stream its No. 3 LLDPE plant for unscheduled repairs from 2 to 11 June, 2020.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, May LLDPE shipments to the Russian market slumped to 35,120 tonnes from 57,110 tonnes a year earlier. Producers reduced their PE production, and exports increased. Russia's overall LLDPE shipments were 168,190 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 6% year on year. Films producers accounted for the main increase in demand.

Sinopec corp. is one of the world's largest integrated energy and chemical companies. Business Sinopec Corp. includes oil and gas exploration, production and transportation of oil and gas, oil refining, petrochemical production, production of mineral fertilizers and other chemical products. In terms of refining capacity, Sinopec Corp. ranks second in the world, in terms of ethylene capacity - fourth.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- PureCycle Technologies, Inc., the innovative recycled polypropylene (PP) producer, has reached an agreement with The Augusta Economic Development Authority to build its first US cluster facility to produce ultra-pure recycled polypropylene (rPP) from waste PP, according to BF.

The 200-acre location in Augusta Corporate Park will create over 80 manufacturing jobs with an initial USD440 million investment to primarily fund three lines of 130 million pounds of capacity during Phase 1 of the project. Augusta-Richmond County was selected based on feed and product delivery supply-chain efficiencies, community support, a skilled labor market, and Georgia’s business-friendly environment.

“We’re delighted to be working with the Augusta Economic Development Authority to establish our next polypropylene purification facility,” said PureCycle CEO Mike Otworth. “Demand for high quality recycled polypropylene is continuing to outpace supply as brands seek sustainable materials for their products. Our Augusta operation will be pivotal in our quest to help solve for the plastics waste crisis.”

PureCycle uses licensed proprietary technology to recycle waste PP into ultra-pure recycled-PP for applications spanning consumer goods, automotive, building and construction, and industrial uses. The company can process a wide range of waste PP with varying levels of contamination.

The Augusta plant will enhance PureCycle’s ability to deliver product at scale with a robust process designed to produce 130mm pounds per year, per processing line, with expansion capacity to construct up to 5 processing lines within Augusta Corporate Park. The company plans to reach one billion pounds of production across its network by 2025, where it will produce virgin-like rPP from PP.

Construction of the company’s flagship Ironton, OH recycling facility is well underway and has already pre-sold more than 20 years of output.

As MRC reported earlier, in May 2020, Total has signed an agreement with PureCycle Technologies to develop a strategic partnership in plastic recycling. As part of the agreement, Total undertakes to purchase part of the output of PureCycle Technologies’ future facility in the United States and to assess the interest of developing a new plant together in Europe. PureCycle Technologies uses an innovative, patented technology to separate color, odor and any other contaminants from plastic waste feedstock to transform it into virgin-like rPP. The company, which was to begin construction on its first plant in Ohio (USA) last year, will produce 48,000 tons of rPP.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, 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

MOSCOW (MRC) -- French energy major TotalEnergies, formerly called as Total SA, reported that its net income attributable to the company for the second-quarter was USD2.21 billion or USD0.80 per share, compared to a loss of USD8.37 billion or USD3.27 per share in the prior year, according to NASDAQ.

TotalEnergies reported USD3.5 billion of adjusted net income, a 15% increase compared to the first quarter 2021 and above the level of the pre-crisis second quarter 2019 which had a comparable oil price environment.

Sales for the second-quarter grew to USD47.05 billion from USD25.73 billion in the prior year.

Tthe Board of Directors decided to distribute a second interim dividend for 2021, stable at EUR0.66 per share.

The company noted that the start-up and ramp-up of new projects, including Zinia Phase 2 in Angola, North Russkoye in Russia and Iara in Brazil, will contribute to increased production in the second half 2021.

TotalEnergies expects cash flow generation (DACF) of more than USD25 billion in 2021 and a return on capital employed of more than 10%.

As MRC reported previously, in June 2021, TotalEnergies and Novatek have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly work on sustainable reductions of the CO emission resulting from the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) including with the use of renewable power, to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage solutions (CCS) and to explore new opportunities for developing decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia.

We remind that in November 2019, Total disclosed that it is evaluating construction of a new gas cracker at its Deasan, South Korea, joint venture (JV) with Hanwha Chemical.

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.

TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity. The company rebranded itself from Total to TotalEnergies during Q2 2021. The French firm has announced allocating part of surplus revenues to share buybacks. Its 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- US-German industrial gas producer Linde plans additional share buybacks and investments, particularly in electronics, after higher pricing and strong volumes across all its markets led it to hike its 2021 earnings guidance again on Friday, reported Reuters.

The world's leading supplier of oxygen to hospitals worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic said it now expects 2021 adjusted earnings per share to rise 23-25% year-on-year, versus previous guidance for a 17-19% increase.

Chief Financial Officer Matthew White told a conference call following its second quarter earnings that Linde would continue to use excess cash for share buybacks and that the group's cash reserves would be higher next quarter.

Linde has consistently beaten analysts' quarterly estimates over the past two years, according to data compiled by Refinitiv.

Chief Operating Officer Sanjiv Lamba told the call the company was reviewing hundreds of prospective projects amounting to more than USD10 billion of potential investment, "including a significant number of electronics and clean energy projects."

Linde's electronics business, which brought in 10% of sales last year, has benefited from strong demand for consumer electronics under coronavirus lockdowns.

While the group's electronics and healthcare divisions remained strong in the second quarter, cyclical segments such as manufacturing, metals, and chemicals and refining all also saw double-digit growth. Industrial gas producers tend to have significantly lower exposure to economic fluctuations due to their long-term contracts, monthly fixed fees and rental income for cylinders.

The group's second-quarter adjusted earnings per share came in at USD2.70, above the USD2.54 forecast from analysts polled by Refinitiv, and beating its own guidance of USD2.50-USD2.55.

Linde had already hiked its 2021 earnings outlook in May, as a strong performance in its healthcare business helped it beat first-quarter forecasts.

As MRC informed earlier, in JUne 2021, SIBUR -Neftekhim and Linde Gas Rus signed agreements on implementation in 2021-2022. a project for the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated in the technological process of the SIBUR enterprise in Dzerzhinsk. SIBUR -Neftekhim will build an infrastructure for the transportation to the Linde Gas Rus site of crude CO2 obtained as a by-product in the process of ethylene oxide synthesis. In turn, Linde Gas Rus will build a unit to bring the quality of this gas to the level of a commercial product, applicable, among other things, in the food industry, and will sell it to end consumers.

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