INEOS, Sasol award EPC contract to KBR for new Texas polyethylene plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- KBR has been awarded a contract from INEOS and Sasol to provide engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services for a new high-density polyethylene (HDPE) facility to be located at INEOS's Battleground complex in La Porte, Texas, reported Hydrocarbonprocessing with reference to officials' statement.

The contract value was not disclosed.

The new facility is designed to produce 470,000 tpy of bimodal HDPE using Innovene S process technology licensed from INEOS Technologies. The new, single-train facility will include new polymerization, pelletization, and railcar load-out facilities, plus upgrades to existing utilities and infrastructure.

Engineering and procurement services will be split between KBR's Houston operating center and KBR's Monterrey engineering center. KBR will provide direct hire construction with selected subcontracts to construct the new facility.

Upon completion, the new facility will be one of the largest in the Americas.

As MRC wrote before, in June 2014, Sasol Chemicals North America and INEOS Olefins & Polymers announced that they had reached final investment decision to form a 50/50 joint venture to build an HDPE plant in La Porte, Texas. The ethylene required for the production of the HDPE will be supplied by Sasol and INEOS in proportion to their respective ownership positions.

Sasol Limited is an integrated energy and chemical company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It develops and commercialises technologies, including synthetic fuels technologies, and produces different liquid fuels, chemicals and electricity.

INEOS is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and oil products. It comprises 15 businesses each with a major chemical company heritage. Its production network spans 51 manufacturing facilities in 11 countries throughout the world.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Kazanorgsintez, Russia's only polycarbonate (PC) producer, resumed its PC production on 17 August 2014 after a scheduled overhaul from 21 July, according to MRC ScanPlast report.

Kazanorgsintez shut down its PC granules production for four weeks because of the scheduled maintenance works. The plant's annual production capacity is 65,000 tonnes. Kazanorgsintez operates monthly at over 100% capacity utilisation, with the exception of the months, when the plant is shut down for a turnaround.

Kazanorgsintez intends to adhere in the near future to the support policy of national converters and strengthening its position in the domestic market. At present, extrusion grades are the priority of the plant's PC production for the Russian market, as this sector is the largest one (82% of the total PC market in Russia) and dynamic. Therefore, production of injection moulding grades for exports to China and other countries takes the second place.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Crop Protection (DuPont) has announced an agreement with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Mitsui) for DuPont to sell its global Kocide and ManKocide copper fungicide business assets to Mitsui, as per the company's press release.

The sale is expected to close in the fourth quarter 2014, subject to approvals from applicable regulatory authorities. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

As part of the transaction Mitsui will acquire DuPont Crop Protection’s global copper fungicide trademarks (including the DuPont Kocide and ManKocide brands); product registrations; registration data; manufacturing know-how (including process patents); certain third-party contracts; and DuPont’s Houston, Texas copper fungicide production facility.

"This agreement is another step in the execution of our DuPont Crop Protection business growth strategy," said Rik Miller, president, DuPont Crop Protection. "The agreement further enhances our focus on innovative new offerings that drive profitable growth both today and over the long term."

Under the agreement, DuPont will continue to sell Kocide and ManKocide branded products within Asia Pacific exclusively for a period of up to five years under a supply and distribution agreement, and also will continue to supply DuPont’s current copper fungicide mixture partner needs globally.

As MRC reported earlier, Borealis AG is buying out DuPont Co.’s two-thirds share in their Specialty Polymers Antwerp NV joint venture. No purchase price was disclosed. Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont will continue to sell ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and acrylate compolymers made at the JV’s plant, which is in Zwijndrecht, Belgium.

DuPont is an American chemical company that was founded in July, 1802. The company manufactures a wide range of chemical products, leading extensive innovative research in this field. The company is the inventor of many unique plastics and other materials, including neoprene, nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, Mylar, Tyvek, etc. DuPont was the developer and main producer of Freon used in the production of refrigeration equipment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Formosa Petrochemical Corp (FPC) is planning to shut its No. 1 residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) for maintenance turnaround, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in Taiwan informed that the unit is planned to be shut in H2 September 2014. The planned shutdown has been planned to take care of a technical glitch.

Located at Mailiao in Taiwan, the unit has a propylene capacity of 375,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, in early August 2014, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued three final GHG Prevention of Significant Deterioration construction permits for the Formosa Plastics facility in Point Comfort, Texas. Formosa is expanding its chemical complex, located near Victoria, and taking three actions with its turbines unit, olefins unit and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit.

According to the olefins GHG permit, a new ethane cracker and propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit will have a combined capacity of 1.75 million tpy of "high-purity ethylene product". Meanwhile, the LDPE unit will have a a capacity of 625,500 tpy and be able to produce resin at different grades.

Formosa Petrochemical is involved primarily in the business of refining crude oil, selling refined petroleum products and producing and selling olefins (including ethylene, propylene, butadiene and BTX) from its naphtha cracking operations. Formosa Petrochemical is also the largest olefins producer in Taiwan and its olefins products are mostly sold to companies within the Formosa Group. Among the company's chemical products are paraxylene (PX), phenyl ethylene, acetone and pure terephthalic acid (PTA). The company's plastic products include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resins, polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP) and panlite (PC).
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell has introduced an innovative suite of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) resins for rotomolding available in either pellet (Petrothene) or powder (Microthene), as per the company's press release.

Petrothene and Microthene resins from LyondellBasell produce significantly faster curing rates, smoother internal surface finish, and improved color. Faster curing rates minimize the time necessary to eliminate bubbles and therefore reduce oven cycle time. Thus, manufacturers spend less time running ovens and more time building parts. A smoother inner surface improves overall product aesthetics and makes it easier to keep the product clean. Minimizing oven time also enhances color. The new rotomolding products do not require any process changes on existing rotomolding equipment.

"Customers are seeing a significant difference in smoothness and improved color performance,” said Jim Guilfoyle, vice president of sales, LyondellBasell’s Olefins and Polyolefins - Americas. "More importantly, this new innovative family of rotomolding products offers manufacturers what they really want: lower costs and higher productivity."

Typical applications include recreational vehicles, playground equipment, toys, canoes, kayaks, small and large tanks, and IBC containers.

As MRC reported earlier, in May 2014, LyondellBasell received a key permit required in the company's multi-plant ethylene expansion program which, when fully operational, is expected to increase annual ethylene capacity by an estimated USD3.12 billion, for a total estimated capacity of USD19.9 billion in North America. The ethylene expansion program began in 2013 and represents a total investment of approximately USD1.3 billion in the company's Channelview, La Porte and Corpus Christi, Texas plants which benefit from shale gas production.

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