Shenhua Ningxia shuts its PP plant in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group has shut its polypropylene (PP) plant for a maintainence turnaround, reported Apic-online.

Located at Yinchuan city, Ningxia in China, the PP plant has a production capacity of 500,000 mt/year.

The source added, "the plant was taken off-stream on October 27, 2013. The palnt is expected to remain shut for around 10 days."

As MRC wrote earlier, on 18 September 2013, another Chinese petrochemical producer Xuzhou Haitian Petrochemical restarted its PP plant. It was shut on August 26, 2013 owing to shortage of propylene feedstock. Located in Jiangsu province, China the plant has a production capacity of 200,000 mt/year.

Besides, Luoyang Petrochemical restarted its PP plant on September 20, 2013. It was shut on August 19, 2013. Located in Henan province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 140,000 mt/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell is working to cash in on the US shale gas advantage by working "cheaper and faster" than competitors, opting in most cases to focus on expansions and debottlenecking projects over building new facilities, said Plastemart.

The chemical-maker is on target to complete a major project every six months over the next 30 months, said CEO Jim Gallogly during its third-quarter earnings call. He highlighted progress on the restart of a methanol facility, a polyethylene debottleneck project and ethylene expansions at facilities in La Porte, Channelview and Corpus Christi, Texas.

LyondellBasell's 780,000 tpa methanol plant in Channelview is on schedule for Q4-2013 completion, with the unit to be fully operational in the second quarter. The company is on target to complete a 220 mln lb/year polyethylene debottlenecking project during Q1-2014, an 800 million lbs/year ethylene expansion in La Porte in Q2-2014.

All equipment for the ethylene expansion was set to be on site by end-2013, with construction set to be completed early next year. The 250 mln lb/year Channelview ethylene expansion is on schedule for a startup in the Q1-2015.

Furnaces have been ordered and foundations have been poured, and the project should be mechanically complete by end-2014. The Corpus Christi expansion is still in the permitting phase, with construction slated to begin once permits are received. Projected start-up is set for end-2015.Gallogly also mentioned the Corpus Christi TexStar NGL project remains on target for start-up this quarter. While not a LyondellBasell project, Gallogly said it will allow the company to benefit from increased supply flexibility of NGLs to its Corpus Christi site.

As MRC wrote before, LyondellBasell has permanently shuttered one of its HDPE production lines at its German site in Wesseling – a step it said it would achieve in Q3. The line, which had a capacity of 100,000 t/y, was the smallest and least efficient at the production site.

LyondellBasell Industries NV is a manufacturing company. The Company produces chemicals, fuels, and polymers used for packaging, clean fuels, durable textiles, medical applications, construction materials, and automotive parts. LyondellBasell Industries operates globally and is headquartered in the Netherlands. LyondellBasell is also a leading licensor of polypropylene and polyethylene technologies. The more than 250 polyolefin process licenses granted by LyondellBasell are twice that of any other polyolefin technology licensor.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- South Korea-based company Lotte Chemical is likely to take off-stream a cracker for maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the unit is likely to be shut in April 2014. It is likely to remain off-stream for around four days.

Located in Yeosu, South Korea, the cracker has an ethylene capacity of 1 million mt/year and propylene capacity of 480,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed previously, Lotte Group's plan to build an integrated petrochemical plant is still hampered by land problems. Honam Petrochemical Corp., the core company of Lotte Group's chemical division, is planning to build a polyethylene and polypropylene plant worth USD5 billion in Cilegon, Banten. The plant's construction requires a land of 100 hectares and is expected to be completed in three to four years.

Besides, South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group is considering new petrochemical ventures in southeast Asia, including an investment in Indonesia that may top USD5bn (EUR3.6bn).

The Lotte Group currently has a presence in Indonesia via its subsidiary, Honam Petrochemicals, which acquired Malaysia’s polyolefin major Titan Chemicals in July 2010. Included in the acquisition was Titan’s Indonesian subsidiary - PT Titan Petrokimia Nusantara (TPN), which has a polyethylene (PE) production capacity of 450,000 tonnes/year.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Chevron Phillips Chemical, the petrochemical venture of US oil producer Chevron Corp. and refiner Phillips 66, has finalized the sale of its Chinese polystyrene business to Grand Astor Ltd., according to the company's press release.

In the deal, Chevron Phillips is selling its affiliate company Chevron Phillips Chemical (China) Co. Ltd., which owns a polystyrene plant located in Zhangjiagang, China.

"The polystyrene plant is a productive and valued asset, but as a standalone operation for Chevron Phillips Chemical in China, the company has determined the asset is not a strategic fit," said Dan Coombs, senior vice president of specialties, aromatics and styrenics for Chevron Phillips Chemical.

"We look forward to working with the buyer to enable a smooth ownership transition for both employees and customers," he added.

Chevron Phillips Chemical says it will maintain its long, committed presence in China and the Asia region through both local and regional manufacturing as well as its extensive marketing network, which provides value-added products to the region including polyethylene, polypropylene, alpha olefins, specialty chemicals, aromatics, engineering polymers and styrenics.

As MRC wrote previously, Chevron Phillips is exploring ways to expand in the Middle East, including building a new plant. The US partnership would consider setting up a site on its own or in a joint venture, and the "entire" region is under consideration.

Chevron Phillips Chemica, headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas (north of Houston), US,l is one of the world’s top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, piping, and proprietary plastics. Chevron and Phillips 66 each own 50% of Chevron Phillips Chemical.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SOCAR Turkey Enerji intends to become the country's most profitable company by 2023, the head of SOCAR Turkey Enerji and board member of the Petkim Petrochemical Holding Kenan Yavuz told, said Messenger.

According to him, currently SOCAR Turkey Enerji is the largest investor in the history of Turkey. It is expected that company's export of chemical production will total to USD5 billion by late 2013.

Earlier Yavuz told Trend that the total income of SOCAR Turkey Enerji and its subsidiaries will exceed USD15 billion.

"Taking into account its total income, SOCAR Turkey Enerji is the third company in this sphere in the country after Koc and Sabanc Holding," Yavuz said.

SOCAR Turkey Enerji ranks second in the field of industrial production in Turkey. One can say that SOCAR Turkey Enerji is ahead of Sabanc? Holding in the field of industrial production, he said.

SOCAR Turkey Enerji A.S and SOCAR International DMCC OGG acquired a 10.32% stake in Petkim on March 30, 2012, increasing SOCAR's stake in the company to 61.32%. Some 38.68% is in free circulation on the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

Petkim Petrokimya Holding manufactures plastic packages, fabric, PVC and detergents. It is the only Turkish producer making such products, a quarter of which the company exports.

As MRC wrote before, Azerbaijan is expected to produce 142,500 tons of propylene in 2014 compared to 44,200 tons projected for 2013, the draft concept of socio-economic development in 2014 and the next three years.

SOCAR includes production association Azneft (companies producing oil and gas on land and sea) and Production Association Azerkimya (chemical industry), production association Azerigas (gas distribution).
The State Oil Company is the only producer of oil products in the country (it has two refineries on its balance sheet) and also owns petrol stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine and Romania. SOCAR possesses a network of petrol stations in Switzerland and is the co-owner of the largest Turkish petrochemical complex Petkim.
MRC