Flint Hills begins construction of Corpus Christi West refinery upgrade

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Flint Hills Resources has begun the construction phase of a project that will enable its Corpus Christi West refinery to process more domestic crude into transportation fuels, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This project, named Project Eagle Ford, is expected to cost around USD600 million, require around 2,000 contractors and be completed in 36 months.

In May, Flint Hills Resources received permits for the project from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Internal board approval was received in September.

"In addition to being able to process more domestic crude, this project will also enable us to reduce our criteria air emissions by using best available control technologies and other emission reduction strategies," said Valerie Pompa, vice president for Flint Hills Resources Corpus Christi.

The current capacity of the West refinery is about 230,000 bpd. After the project is complete, it will have the capability to process 100% domestic crude.

As MRC wrote before, Flint Hills Resources, LLC announced it is moving forward with a significant expansion of its chemicals business with the completion of its acquisition of PetroLogistics LP and its general partner, PetroLogistics GP LLC. The USD2.1 billion transaction is the largest in the company’s history.

Flint Hills Resources, through its subsidiaries, is a leading refining, biofuels and chemicals company. Its subsidiaries market products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol, biodiesel, olefins, polymers and intermediate chemicals, as well as base oils and asphalt.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Shanghai Petrochemical has restarted its No.2 MEG plant following a maintenance turnaround, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the plant resumed production on December 3, 2014. It was shut for a maintenance turnaround on October 17, 2014.

Located in Jinshan, Shanghai, the No.2 MEG plant has a production capacity of 380,000 mt/year.

We remind that, as MRC wrote before, Nan Ya Plastics restarted its No 3 MEG plant in Taiwan on November 3, 2014. It was under a month-long maintenance turnaround. Located in Mailiao, Taiwan, the plant has a production capacity of 360,000 mt/year.

Besides, Xinjiang Tianye Group started up a new MEG plant in China in August 2014. Located in Xinjiang province, China, the plant has a production capacity of 250,000 mt/year.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Eastman Chemical Company has announced the completion of its acquisition of Taminco Corporation, a global specialty chemical company, for a total of USD2.8 billion in cash and assumed debt, said the producer.

The acquired Taminco businesses are expected to be accretive to 2015 earnings per share by greater than USD0.35, excluding acquisition-related costs and charges, and to 2016 earnings per share by greater than USD0.60.

"We are pleased to complete this transaction and welcome Taminco employees to the global Eastman team," said Mark Costa, chairman and chief executive officer. "Taminco’s world-class alkylamine technology platform and strong presence in attractive niche end markets will further strengthen our position as a leading specialty chemical company. We are committed to successful integration of Taminco and look forward to delivering the projected synergies of this transaction."

Taminco’s former Specialty Amines and Crop Protection businesses will be operated as part of the Additives & Functional Products segment and its former Functional Amines business will be operated as part of the Specialty Fluids & Intermediates segment.

As MRC reported before, in early August 2014, Eastman Chemical Company entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Knowlton Technologies. The company, which is located in Watertown, NY, is a leader in the design, accelerated prototyping and manufacture of wet-laid nonwovens in filtration, friction and custom designed composite webs.

Eastman is a global specialty chemical company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With a portfolio of specialty businesses, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. Its market-driven approaches take advantage of world-class technology platforms and leading positions in attractive end-markets such as transportation, building and construction and consumables. Eastman focuses on creating consistent, superior value for all stakeholders. As a globally diverse company, Eastman serves customers in approximately 100 countries and had 2013 revenues of approximately USD9.4 billion. The company is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA and employs approximately 14,000 people around the world.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company and a global leader in vinyl acetate ethylene (EVA) emulsions, has announced as part of its 70th anniversary of doing business in Mexico, the company will invest in a new Celanese Commercial and Technology Center in Mexico, the producer said.

This commercial and technology center will support the growth of Celanese customers in Latin America, advance the technical capabilities of the Celanese product portfolio, and ensure the company is growing with its global customer base.

With the opening of a commercial and technology center in Mexico, Celanese will be positioned to offer customers a diversified portfolio of products and solutions - from intermediate chemicals and engineered materials, to technical expertise and support.

The Celanese Commercial and Technology Center - Mexico will serve industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, appliance, medical device, petrochemical and aerospace. A team of talented technologists will support Celanese customers in the region who are accelerating global product innovations for engineering polymers, food ingredients, adhesives, paints and coatings, mining, and consumer products.

The Celanese Commercial and Technology Center - Mexicois the first research and development facility for Celanese in Mexico. Recent regional center openings include the Celanese Commercial and Technology Center - Shanghaiand the Celanese Commercial and Technology Center - Koreato support the company's customer application development, and research and development resources within the Asia region.

As MRC informed before, in late October 2014, Celanese Corporation announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Cool Polymers, Inc., based in North Kingstown, R.I. The acquisition will accelerate Celanese's growth in the conductive polymers market by building on Cool Polymers' strong product portfolio and technical capabilities.

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,400 employees worldwide and had 2013 net sales of USD6.5 billion.
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