Formosa Plastics told to contain pollution by Taiwan Government

March 23 (Bloomberg) -- Formosa Plastics Corp., the world's second-biggest maker of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) was told by the Taiwanese government to curb pollution at a plant or it may be fined.


Tests showed the soil and groundwater underneath Jenwu plant have been contaminated, the Environmental Protection Administration in Taipei said in a statement on its web site yesterday. The PVC maker must contain the pollution or pay a fine of as much as NT$750,000 ($23,600), the EPA said.
Formosa Plastics started making PVC in Jenwu in the southern county of Kaohsiung in 1972, according to its 2008 annual report. The company should ⌠actively prevent pollution from spreading and improve the conditions, the EPA said.


A lack of adequate facilities ⌠in the early days and other factors including earthquakes had caused waste water from the plant to seep into the ground, the company said in a statement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange today. Formosa Plastics has since built a waste-water treatment plant that prevents the pollution of groundwater, according to the statement.


The shares fell 1.6 percent to NT$69.90 in Taipei trading at 11:33 a.m. today. The benchmark Taiex stock index declined 0.8 percent.
Formosa Plastics has plants in other locations, including western Taiwan's Mailiao.

MRC

MRC Reference

Formosa. The share in the Russian market in 2008:

PVC-S - 3.0%;

PP - 0.4%.

Annual growth sales in Russia :
PVC - 79 % (over the last year) ;

PP - 272 % (over the last 3 years).

Supply by processing technologies:
profile extrusion

film extrusion

Bidders line up for Polish PVC producer

March 23 (prw) -- Lithuanian chemicals group UAB Achema is reported to be a contender in the bidding to take over Anwil, the PVC and fertiliser arm of Poland's leading oil refiner PKN Orlen.


Vilnius-based Achema, with 1,600 employees, is a manufacturer of industrial gases, adhesives, paints, resins, nitrogen and compound fertilisers and chemical intermediates.

It is a part of a three-strong shortlist of bidders for Wloclawek-based Anwil that also includes leading Polish fertiliser producer Zaklady Azotowe Pulawy (ZAP). Achema and ZAP are said to have each offered more than $352m for Orlen's 85% stake, according to Poland's daily paper Parkiet.

Orlen of Plock is preparing to select one bidder with whom it will enter into final negotiations prior to Anwil's sale, Orlen's deputy head Slawomir Jedrzejczyk was quoted as confirming.

Orlen is understood to be concerned at the timing of the sale, when depressed markets and uncertainty in the chemical sector have led to reduced purchase offers for its PVC offshoot. But, it is understood, the aim is still to complete the sale by the end of the second quarter of 2010.

In the background, the Polish government is scheduled to privatise its major holdings in the national chemical industry. It is expected to sell off its stakes in both Orlen and ZAP by the second half of 2010.

MRC


HMC Polymers to increase annual capacity of PP at plant in Map Ta Phut by 300,000 tons

March 22 (plastemart) -- HMC Polymers will inaugurate its PP plant in Map Ta Phut after capacity expansion in Q2-10. Annual polypropylene production capacity has been increased by 300,000 tons in addition to the existing capacity of 450,000 tons in a bid to serve growing demand for polypropylene both domestically and internationally. The company is an affiliate of PTT and LyondellBasell.


HMC Polymers' capacity expansion project for polypropylene was not included in the recent Central Administrative Court's suspensions for the Map Ta Phut area, so it can proceed with construction work. HMC Polymers is Thailand's first polypropylene resin manufacturer.

MRC

LyondellBasell reorganization delays finance of Kazakh petrochemical plant

March 22 (plastemart) -- The Development Bank of Kazakhstan, which was to finance a US$6 billion natural-gas chemical plant has decided to delay the funding as the project's strategic partner, LyondellBasell Industries, seeks to reorganize. Before the Development Bank of Kazakhstan takes a decision on financing the project, it would want to have a clear understanding of this issue. Export-Import Bank of China agreed to help finance the construction of the plant.


The gas chemical complex will have capacity to produce 800,000 tpa of polyethylene and 450,000 tpa of polypropylene when completed in 2014. KazMunaiGaz National Co., and KazMunaiGas Exploration Production, a London-traded unit of KazMunaiGaz National, each own 50% of the stake.

MRC

MRC Reference

LyondellBasell. The share in the Russian market in 2008:
PE - 1.4% (including HDPE - 2.5%, LDPE - 0.3%);
PP - 4.1% (including block-copolymers - 9.5%).

Annual sales growth in Russia, during the recent 5 years:
PE - 27%;
PP - 88%.

The leader in the following polymers processing technologies:

pipe extrusion;

film extrusion;

injection molding.

HDPE imports up 1.5 times in Russia over two months

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Over the course of January-February, HDPE imports in Russia went up by more than 1.5 times (to 26.59 kt) compared to the same period last year - according to MRC DataScope Report.

Imports of Borealis' material increased nearly three times. The share of Borealis' HDPE has moved at about 44% of overall imports this year.


Imports of HDPE used for extrusion coating hiked by nearly 3.5 times (to 11.66 kt). Again supply of Borealis' feedstock increased more than three times (only Brocoat HE 3450 grade has been imported to the Russian market this year).

Imports of pipe-grade HDPE during January-February 2010 were almost similar to the last year's figure (5.94 kt). Demand for pipe-grade material has been extremely weak this year. Seasonal growth of demand will not start earlier than April. At the same time, some trading companies are gradually increasing imports of Asian material. In February, imports of Korea Petrochemical's pipe-grade HDPE went up by 25%, compared to the previous month.

MRC

For more detailed information, see DataScope Report.