Saudi Arabia could become a regional leader in polysilicon for solar panels

(Arabian Oil and Gas) -- Polysilicon Technology Company (PTC) of Saudi Arabia announced recently that it has signed a USD 378 mln Lump Sum Turn Key Engineering, Procurement and Construction (LSTK EPC) contract for Phase 1 of its Polysilicon Plant with Hyundai Engineering Company and KCC Engineering and Construction Corporation.

The plant will be located in Al Jubail Industrial City 2, Saudi Arabia, and will have an initial production capacity of 3.350 metric tonnes of Solar Grade Polysilicon. PTC has selected the most innovative and competitive technology allowing it to produce high purity polysilicon (+ 9ns). Polysilicon is the main raw material used in the solar industry which is then converted into ingot, wafers and then into solar cells that are put into panels in order to generate electricity from the sun.

Polysilicon Technology Company is a 50:50 JV between Mutajadedah Energy Company (MEC) of Saudi Arabia and KCC Corporation of Korea (KCC). KCC is a construction and fine chemicals company and a global producer of polysilicon. MEC is a local Saudi Company owned by Swicorp Joussour Company (SJC) and Chemical Development Company (CDC) incorporated to invest across the solar energy value chain in Saudi Arabia.

MRC

Styrodur HT stays dimensionally stable even with high ambient temperatures and with high solar radiation. BASF offers the new insulation material at nominal compressive strengths of 300 and 600 kPa. Styrodur HT is particularly suitable for inverted flat roofs subject to heavy loads, for insulating hot water tanks (including those in contact with the ground), for various insulation applications in solar technology and for all special insulation applications with hot water which are exposed to pressure and moisture. Thus, the service life of these applications is considerably increased.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Fears surrounding a nuclear meltdown and persistent aftershocks in Japan continued to cause disruption to petrochemicals on Wednesday, following the massive quake and tsunami that struck the country on 11 March.

Many refineries and petrochemical plants in the region have been forced to shut since last Friday, in turn causing a domestic shortfall in fuel, power and feedstocks.

As a result, Japan is seeking prompt supplies of fuel to run its power plants and plug a severe domestic shortfall, after about 22% of its refining capacity was shut down in the aftermath of the earthquake. Energy giant JX Group has terminated exports of oil products to cater to domestic demand, while operations at most oil terminals in northeastern Japan are shut down.

Japan's Shin-Etsu shut its 550,000 tonne/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant at Kashima after the earthquake, and this is expected to strain PVC supply from the country. Japan Polyethylene's polyethylene (PE) plants at Kashima and Kawasaki are also down.

Asahi Glass Co (AGC) shut its caustic soda plants at Chiba and Kashima after they were damaged in the earthquake, while Japan Polypropylene's production site at Kashima was badly affected by the tsunami that followed.

Meanwhile, Japanese producers might have to declare force majeure (FM) on caprolactam (capro) due to possible feedstock and power shortages, which has sparked panic buying of spot capro by downstream nylon makers in Taiwan, sources said.

MRC

(ICIS) -- Olefins shipments from Japan this month have been cancelled as some naphtha crackers in the country remain shut about a week after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the northern part of the country, market sources said on Thursday. At least 15,000 tonnes of propylene cargoes and around 10,000 tonnes of ethylene shipments were affected, traders estimated.

Mitsubishi Chemical's two crackers in Kashima, along with Maruzen Petrochemicals' 520,000 tonne/year ethylene plant in Chiba, remain off line.

JX Nippon Oil and Energy's 460,000 tonne/year cracker and an olefins conversion unit (OCU), which can produce 140,000 tonnes/year of propylene, in Kawasaki are still shut, market sources said.

On the other hand, Mitsui Chemicals has increased the operating rate at its 617,000 tonne/year cracker in Chiba to close to 100% after earlier reducing output in the wake of the disaster, a company source said.

Japan exported around 480,000 tonnes of ethylene and 700,000 tonnes of propylene in 2010, according to estimates from traders.

MRC

(Trend) -- The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) in 2011 plans to launch a construction of a carbamide plant in the Sumgait city, SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev said on Wednesday. The plan t will be built close to Azerkimya, he added.

Following the entrance into the balance of SOCAR, Azerkimya's production cycle closed up and now the State Oil Company is engaged in oil and gas extraction, refining and selling, oil and gas distribution, as well as the production and sale of chemical products, he stressed.

The company intends to focus its efforts on development and modernization of enterprises entering its balance, Abdullayev said. In particular, preparation is underway i for the establishment of new oil and gas refining, petrochemical complexes.

SOCAR also intends to continue to work on reconstruction and modernization of existing chemical plants, and creating a new technology park for the final chemical products.

MRC