Polymir shut down some of its PE production capacities for a scheduled turnaround

Belarusian Polymir, part of JSC "Naftan", had to shut down part of its capacities of low density polyethylene (LDPE) due to problems with the sale of by-products, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

According to the company's customers, last weekend the Belarusian producer was forced to stop production at the second line of LDPE production (158 PE). The outage is scheduled to last for one month. The second line's annual production capacity is 65,000 tonnes.

At the same time, it should be added that the temporary shutdown of part of the capacity will not affect the supply of PE from the Belarusian producer. There were sufficient stocks. It is also worth noting that Polymir intends to shut the first line of LDPE for a month in May for scheduled maintenance works, the second line will be shut for repairs in June, but at the same time, the shutdown will last a little more than 30 days.

Polymir (part of Naftan) is Belarus' largest petrochemical company, producing a wide range of chemical products, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), acrylic fibers, products of organic synthesis, hydrocarbon fractions, etc. Polymir was founded in 1968.

The producer uses technologies of the largest foreign companies from Great Britain, Japan, Germany, Italy (Courtaulds, Asahi Chemical Co. Ltd, Kanematsu Gosho, SNIA BPD, etc.), as well as the developments of scientific research institutes and design institutes of the CIS countries.

The plant's annual production capacity is 130,000 tonnes.

MRC

Tecnicas Reunidas and Axens have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly promote carbon capture (CCS) projects and provide integrated solutions from the concept to the handover of the project, based on Axens technologies, according Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The two companies will work together to accelerate the transition to a zero-emission future by helping companies in energy-intensive industrial sectors, such as the chemical, steel, cement and paper industries, to reduce carbon emissions from their assets.

As MRC informed earlier, in January, 2022, SOCAR HQ held a ceremony to sign licensing and design agreements for the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit between the Heydar Aliyev oil refinery (HAOR) and the French company Axens as part of the HAOR modernization and reconstruction project. It is worth noting that SOCAR and Axens have a long-term co-operation. At present, the diesel hydrotreatment, gasoline hydrotreatment and C4 (butane-butylene) hydrogenation units as part of the Heydar Aliyev refinery reconstruction project, as well as the C3 (propane-propylene) hydrogenation unit as part of the reconstruction works carried out at Azerkimya PU, the naphtha hydrotreatment, diesel hydrotreatment and kerosene hydrotreatment units at the STAR refinery built in Turkey are licensed by Axens.

Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC

The U.S. took aim at Russia's oil refining sector with new export curbs and targeted Belarus with sweeping new export restrictions, as the Biden administration amps up its crackdown on Moscow and Minsk over the invasion of Ukraine, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The new round of sanctions announced by the White House ban the export of specific refining technologies, making it harder for Russia to modernize its oil refineries. The White House also applied a sweeping set of export restrictions levied against Russia last month to Belarus, arguing the controls would help prevent the diversion of items, including technology and software, in the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors to Russia through Belarus.

"The U.S. will take actions to hold Belarus accountable for enabling Putin's invasion of Ukraine, weaken the Russian defense sector and its military power for years to come, target Russia’s most important sources of wealth and ban Russian airlines from U.S. airspace," the White House said. The European Union (EU) also approved new sanctions against Belarus for its supporting role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, effectively banning about 70% of all imports from that country, the EU said on Wednesday.

The U.S. has steadily increased sanctions on Moscow after Putin began the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Belarus has allowed Russian troops to use its territory as a staging ground for the assault. The Commerce Department, which oversees U.S. export controls, also said it was adding to a trade blacklist entities with ties to the Russian and Belarusian military and defense sectors, making it much harder for them to receive U.S. technology imports.

In a detailed filing about the new restrictions on Belarus, the U.S. said it would allow mobile phone and software sales to consumers in Belarus, but not to President Alexander Lukashenko, his intelligence staff, the Belarusian military, as well as members of state media and other government officials. The U.S. State Department will also impose sanctions targeting 22 Russian defense-related entities, including firms that make combat aircraft and missiles for the country's military, to "further restrict Putin's war machine," the White House said.

Russia exports between 2 MMbpd and 3 MMbpd of refined products, making it one of the world's largest exporters of fuels. The country has about 5.5 MM bbl of crude refining capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Department, citing Oil & Gas Journal figures.

Russia's invasion has yet to achieve its aim of overthrowing Ukraine's government but has sent more than 870,000 people fleeing to neighboring countries and jolted the global economy as governments and companies line up to isolate Moscow.

As per MRC, ExxonMobil said it will exit a major oil and gas project and cease investing in Russia, making it the latest western oil company to cut ties with the country following its invasion of Ukraine. The Texas-based energy supermajor said it was “discontinuing operations” at the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia’s far east, one of the largest foreign-operated oil and gasfields in the country. Exxon follows BP, Shell and Norway’s Equinor, which have said they will dump stakes in projects and sell out of Russian state-backed energy groups after Moscow was hit with a barrage of western sanctions.

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 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC

Canadian-based recyclers EFS-Plastics and Kal-Polymers have announced significant investments in expanding their recycled polyolefin processing capacity in 2022, said the company.

EFS-Plastics announced it will be building a 70,000 square feet (sq ft) facility in Lethbridge Alberta, with a recycled plastic processing capacity of 10,000 tonnes/year. Building on its relationships with US material recovery facilities (MRFs), it will source mixed rigid plastic bales from the western United States and Canada.

EFS-plastics has two other facilities, a mixed rigids-focused plant in Listowel, Ontario and a film-focused facility in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. They currently offer 100% post consumer recycled (PCR) high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), and polypropylene (PP) resins.

Similarly, Kal-Polymers has declared it is spending USD7.8m on an additional post-industrial based food grade PP recycling line at its flagship facility in Mississauga, Ontario. The line is slated to be operational around the start of Q3. With the addition of this fifth line, its total recycled plastics processing capacity will increase to approximately 68,000 tonnes/year.

Kal-Polymers also has a 100,000 sq ft facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia, purchased in 2019 and expanded in 2020, bringing the facility to a total of four recycling lines. Aside from PP, Kal Polymers offers food-grade post-industrial based linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Both announcements come as demand for recycled plastics continues to grow, on the back of sustainability targets from major consumer brands companies.

As per MRC, EFS-plastics Inc. has acquired custom blow molder Exi-Plast Custom Moulding for an undisclosed amount. Both companies will continue to operate under their organizational structures, officials with Listowel, Ont.-based EFS said in a news release.

Founded in 1992, Exi-Plast is headquartered in Huron Park, Ontario.
MRC