MOSCOW (MRC) - Imports of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) to Ukraine increased by 53% in 2013 on the back of stronger demand and shutdown of Karpatneftekhim (LUKOIL), according MRC DataScope.
Last year external supplies of SPVC to Ukraine increased more by one and a half compared with the level in 2012 and totalled about 144,400 tonnes. The outage of the local producer Karpatneftehim (LUKOIL) and the growth in demand for finished PVC products were the main reasons for such a significant increase of the external supply.
Key suppliers of PVC to Ukraine continued to be US producers. Imports of US resin to Ukraine in 2013 rose to 76,400 tonnes, compared with 34,500 in 2012. Lower price level of the North American PVC and limited export quotas of European material during the high season significantly contributed to the growth of US resin imports.
Imports of SPVC from Europe totalled about 65,600 tonnes in 2013, from 57,000 tonnes a year earlier. Key suppliers of European resin continued to be producers from Hungary and Poland, with 29,300 tonnes and 24,400 tonnes delivered in 2013, respectively.
The largest petrochemical complex in Ukraine - Karpatneftekhim (LUKOIL) has 300,000 tonnes/year ethylene production, 100,000 tonnes/year polyethylene (PE) production, 200,000 tonnes/year caustic soda production and 300,000 tonnes/year polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production, which was launched in May 2011. Karpatneftekhim's capacities can fully meet the needs of the domestic market of PVC.
However, because of economic instability, producer shut PVC production in September 2012. Karpatneftekhim resumed SPVC production after a long shutdown on 7 November 2013, but in the end of December 2013 it was shut again for indefinite period. Karpatneftekhim's SPVC production in 2013 totalled 12,200 tonnes.
MRC