Air Products brings liquid hydrogen plant onstream in La Porte

Air Products brings liquid hydrogen plant onstream in La Porte

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Air Products, the leading global hydrogen provider, announced that its new liquid hydrogen plant at its La Porte, Texas facility is onstream to supply increasing demand in several customer markets, said Gasworld.

The new La Porte liquid hydrogen plant produces approximately 30 tons per day and will draw its hydrogen to be liquefied from Air Products' existing Gulf Coast hydrogen pipeline network, the world's largest hydrogen plant and pipeline system.

"We invested in this new liquid hydrogen production facility in Texas to show our commitment to our customers and to help meet current and future demand. The addition of this new capacity also will allow us to target the increased growth we anticipate from several markets, namely the hydrogen for mobility market. The La Porte facility's location and operational benefits provide us with numerous supply options from this plant. We look forward to providing this new reliable source of liquid hydrogen, which is very important to manufacturing and other operations in several states," said Francesco Maione, president, Americas at Air Products.

Maione added that Air Products also plans to build a green liquid hydrogen production facility in the Southwest U.S. The zero-carbon facility will produce liquid hydrogen to be sold to the hydrogen for mobility market in California and other locations requiring zero-carbon hydrogen fuel.

From its newest commercial facility at La Porte, the hydrogen will be delivered in trailers to customers in industries including: electronics, chemical and petrochemical, metals, material handling, float glass, edible fats and oils, utilities, and the rapidly-developing hydrogen for mobility market. Air Products recently announced its intent to begin the process of converting its global fleet of approximately 2,000 distribution vehicles to hydrogen fuel cell zero emission vehicles starting in 2022.

Air Products also has liquid hydrogen production plants operating in New Orleans, Louisiana; Sacramento, California; Sarnia, Ontario, Canada; and Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

The new plant at La Porte will join Air Products' existing hydrogen and syngas production operations, as well as an air separation unit at the site. The liquid hydrogen plant will connect to, and draw hydrogen to be liquefied from, Air Products' Gulf Coast Pipeline (GCP), an approximately 700-mile pipeline stretching from the Houston Ship Channel in Texas to New Orleans, Louisiana, and capable of supplying customers with over 1.9 billion feet of hydrogen per day from 25 hydrogen production facilities. The vast pipeline includes the supply of blue hydrogen from Air Products' Port Arthur, Texas facility where approximately one million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) has been captured annually since 2013, transported via pipeline, and used in enhanced oil recovery operations.

Pipelines offer a safe, robust and reliable supply of hydrogen to industries around the world. Globally, Air Products' pipeline operational expertise is evidenced by its network of systems. Besides the GCP, Air Products also has hydrogen pipelines in California in the U.S., in Sarnia, Ontario and Alberta, Canada, and in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

As per MRC, Aramco, Air Products, ACWA Power and Air Products Qudra have signed a deal for the asset acquisition and project financing of a USD12bn air separation unit (ASU)/gasification/power joint venture (JV) at Jazan Economic City in Saudi Arabia.

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 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

Saudi Aramco, officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is a Saudi Arabian national oil and natural gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Aramco's value has been estimated at up to USD10 trillion in the Financial Times, making it the world"s most valuable company. Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves, at more than 260 billion barrels, and largest daily oil production.
MRC

Eneos to buy Japan Renewable Energy

Eneos to buy Japan Renewable Energy

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eneos Holdings Inc, Japan's biggest refiner, plans to buy Japan Renewable Energy for about 200 billion yen (USD1.8 billion) from Goldman Sachs and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The deal would mark the first major purchase of a renewables company by a top Japanese oil company, the Nikkei said, as Eneos looks to shift away from fossil fuels.

Founded in 2012, Japan Renewable Energy develops and builds renewable energy assets and has 419 megawatts of solar, onshore wind and biomass capacity in operation, with a further 410 MW under construction.

An Eneos spokesperson said the company was considering various options to expand its renewable energy business but that nothing had been decided. A Goldman Sachs spokesperson declined to comment.

Like overseas counterparts including Royal Dutch Shell Japan's oil companies are shifting into new areas, especially after Tokyo stepped-up commitments on cutting atmosphere heating emissions along with other countries.

Japan Renewable's website has few financial details but, with its comparatively small capacity, any acquisition is unlikely to make much of an immediate contribution to Eneos' typical annual sales of around 10 trillion yen (USD90 billion).

As per MRC, Eneos (formerly JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy), part of Eneos Holding, a major petrochemical producer in Japan, has nominated the October contract price for benzene in Asia at USD1,010 per tonne, up USD30 per tonne from the contract price in September. The price was nominated on CFR Asia delivery terms.

Benzene is a raw material for the production of styrene, which, in turn, serves as the main raw material for the production of polystyrene (PS).

According to the MRC's ScanPlast, the total estimated consumption of EPS in August increased by 15% compared to August last year and amounted to 11,650 tonnes. The total production volume of EPS for the reporting month amounted to 8,770 tonnes, a decrease in comparison with August last year amounted to 8%.

Eneos Holding (formerly known as JXTG) is Japan's largest oil company. Its activities include the exploration, import and refining of crude oil; production and sale of petroleum products (ethylene, propylene, butadiene, styrene, paraxylene, orthoxylene, etc.), including fuels and lubricants. In recent years, the company has been expanding its production facilities in other countries. Its products are sold under the ENEOS brand. On June 25, 2020, JXTG, founded in April 2017 after the merger of two Japanese companies, JX Holding and TonenGeneral, changed its name to Eneos Holdings, while its subsidiary JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy changed its name to Eneos.
MRC

Tatneft joined the Top -10 of environmental efficiency rating

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tatneft joined the Top -10 of environmental efficiency rating, said the company.

The environmental rating of the ERA agency assessed the fundamental efficiency of the production activities of companies. This rating reflects the ability of enterprises to operate with a low environmental impact, economical consumption of resources and energy, minimal losses of ecosystem stability in the area of presence of enterprises, with an increase in production per unit of resource costs and environmental reporting open to society.

The ranking identified 160 leaders in 16 groups based on technological similarities. 289 companies participated in the Oil and Gas Production and Pumping Group. When evaluating ERA, 5 criteria were used (energy resource, technological and ecosystem efficiency, efficiency dynamics and transparency). The transparency indicator of Tatneft was 91.6%.

Information transparency is an important factor in business sustainability. Tatneft publishes a sustainability report that meets the requirements of the GRI standards. By joining the UN Global Compact, the Company increases the level of integration into business processes of all aspects of sustainable development and continues to increase its contribution to the fight against climate change.

As per MRC, Tatneft intends to develop the production of composite materials. Currently, the development strategy of Tatneft's petrochemical complex projects is at the stage of updating, integrating a new project of the company for the production of butadiene rubbers in Kazakhstan and the recently acquired EcoPet plant (Kaliningrad) for the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Within the framework of updating the strategy, Tatneft plans to pay great attention to "green" projects.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PET consumption totalled 411,200 tonnes in the first six month of 2021, up by 12% year on year. Russian companies processed 62,910 tonnes in June, compared to 85,890 tonnes a month earlier.

JSC Tatneft is part of JSC Tatneftekhiminvest-holding, an industrial and financial company that unites the largest enterprises of the oil and gas chemical complex of Tatarstan. Tatneft accounts for over 80% of oil produced in Tatarstan. In 2013, the company increased oil production by 0.4% to 26.107 million tons. The main shareholder of Tatneft is the state holding OJSC Svyazinvestneftekhim, which owns 30.44% of the shares in the authorized capital of the company. Tatarstan owns the "golden share" of Tatneft.
MRC

Asia distillates-gasoil prices are on the rise

Asia distillates-gasoil prices are on the rise

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Asia's middle distillate markets firm on Friday, buoyed by a firming demand outlook and tighter regional supplies, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

Recovering industrial demand due to easing COVID-19 restrictions and increased usage of the fuel for power generation on the back of high coal and gas prices are boosting the markets, trade sources said.

Rising natural gas and thermal coal prices are likely to see increased gas-to-oil switching, supporting demand for residual fuel oil and gasoil, ANZ Research said in a note.

ANZ analysts raised their fourth-quarter 2021 crude oil demand forecast by 450,000 bpd amid rising gas-to-oil switching in the power generation and industrial sectors and a continued recovery in demand for transportation fuels. The front-month gasoil time spread climbed to 72 cents a barrel, its highest since December 2019, Refinitiv data in Eikon showed.

Meanwhile, the front-month jet fuel crack firmed to USD12.32 a barrel over Dubai crude during Asian trading hours despite firming crude oil prices. The jet crack hit a near two-year high of USD13.50 a barrel on Wednesday.

Gasoil stocks held independently in the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub rose 1% to 2.03 MM tons in the week ended Oct. 7, according to Dutch consultancy Insights Global.

The gasoil stockpiles, which hit a near 1-1/2 yr low in late-September, edged up slightly on the back of higher imports from the Middle East Gulf. ARA jet fuel inventories fell 6% this week to a near six-month low of 867,000 tons. Some jet fuel is being blended into winter-specification diesel, draining stocks. Jet coming from Russia, some product moving to Britain, some jet blended into winter spec diesel.

As per MRC, India is framing policies to promote the use of clean fuels, including electric vehicles (EVs), and tightening emission norms to meet its carbon reduction targets. India is the third-largest user of transport automobiles in the world but 70% of its transport energy need is fulfilled by importing fossil fuels.

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 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
MRC

Petrobras to raise gasoline and cooking gas prices because of inflation concerns

Petrobras to raise gasoline and cooking gas prices because of inflation concerns

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras announced it will raise gasoline and cooking gas prices at the refinery starting on Saturday, at a time when high energy prices have been weighing on inflation, said Reuters.

According to Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, gasoline prices will rise to 2.98 reais (USD0.5411) per liter from 2.78 reais, while cooking gas will go up to 3.86 reais per kg from 3.60 reais.

Petrobras said this marks the first adjustment to gasoline prices in 58 days and the first one for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in 95 days.

It added that the pricing changes come on the back of higher international oil prices and a stronger U.S. dollar.

Brazil’s consumer prices rose in September at the fastest pace for the month since 1994, with rising fuel and electricity prices largely to blame.

We also remind that Braskem is no longer pursuing a petrochemical project, which would have included an ethane cracker, in West Virginia. And the company is seeking to sell the land that would have housed the cracker. The project, announced in 2013, had been on Braskem's back burner for several years.

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 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.

Headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras is an integrated energy firm. Petrobras' activities include exploration, exploitation and production of oil from reservoir wells, shale and other rocks as well as refining, processing, trade and transport of oil and oil products, natural gas and other fluid hydrocarbons, in addition to other energy-related activities.
MRC