TotalEnergies signs renewable PPA with Air Liquide in Belgium

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TotalEnergies (formerly Total), through its Belgian subsidiary Lampiris, has signed a corporate power purchase agreement with Air Liquide for the supply of 50 GWh/year of renewable electricity for 15 years, reported S&P Global with reference to the company's statement July 26.

TotalEnergies will source the power from an offshore wind farm in the Belgian North Sea, it said in a statement.
Air Liquide will use the electricity to power industrial and medical gas production sites in Belgium, avoiding around 270,000 mt of CO2 emissions over the course of the contract, TotalEnergies said.

"A growing number of companies are shifting to renewable energy, and we want to support them on their path towards carbon neutrality," TotalEnergies senior vice president renewables Julien Pouget said. "There is a dynamic market for corporate PPAs in Europe, and we want TotalEnergies to take a strong leadership position."

TotalEnergies signed several other corporate PPAs earlier in 2021 with Orange, Microsoft and Merck.

The company had 7 GW of renewable energy generation in operation at the end of 2020, of a total 12 GW power generation capacity. It aims to have 35 GW of renewable production capacity by 2025, rising to 100 GW by 2030.

As MRC informed before, earlier this month, Air Liquide, Borealis, Esso S.A.F., TotalEnergies and Yara International ASA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of a CO2 infrastructure including capture and storage, to help decarbonize the industrial basin located in the Normandy region, France.

Besides, in June 2021, TotalEnergies and Novatek signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly work on sustainable reductions of the CO emission resulting from the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) including with the use of renewable power, to develop large-scale carbon capture and storage solutions (CCS) and to explore new opportunities for developing decarbonized hydrogen and ammonia.

TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables, and electricity. Its 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Maire Tecnimont S.p.A. announces that its subsidiary Tecnimont S.p.A. has been awarded a contract by Repsol for the realization of a polypropylene (PP) Unit and a linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit on an EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction) Lump Sum Turn-Key basis, as part of Repsol’s expansion of Sines Industrial Complex in Portugal, as per Maire Tecnimont's press release.

The total contract value is approximately EUR430 million. The project scope of work entails complete engineering services, equipment and material supply, installation and construction activities and, as an optional part of the scope, commissioning and start up.

The project completion is expected by 2025.

The new PP and LLDPE units, which represent the largest industrial investment in Portugal in the last ten years, will have a capacity of 300,000 tons per year each and will be located inside Repsol’s industrial complex in Sines, Portugal.

The technologies applied in both units will guarantee maximum energy efficiency and will be the first of their kind to be implemented in the Iberian Peninsula, making the Sines Industrial Complex one of the most advanced in Europe due to its flexibility and high degree of integration.

As MRC wrote previously, Repsol shut down its cracker in Tarragona (Spain) for maintenance in the fourth quarter of 2019. The turnaround at this steam cracker, which produces 702,000 mt/year of ethylene and 372,000 mt/year of propylene, was pushed back from Q3 2019. The exact dates of maintenance works were not disclosed.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 953,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, which virtually corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High denisty polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 607,8900 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 33% year on year. Shipments of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas deliveries of PP random copolymers decreased.

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A., listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, heads an industrial group which leads the global natural resource conversion market (downstream oil & gas plant engineering, with technological and executive expertise). Its subsidiary NextChem operates in the field of green chemicals and technologies in support of the energy transition. The Maire Tecnimont Group operates in approx. 45 countries, through approx. 50 operative companies and about 9,000 people. For further information:

Repsol is a global multi-energy company established in Spain and listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange for 25 years. Its products are distributed in nearly 100 countries to around 24 million customers. Repsol Industrial Complex in Sines is the largest chemical site in Portugal.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Total Petrochemicals & Refining USA, the US petrochemical major, has announced an increase of its polypropylene (PP) prices for August shipments in North America, the company said in letters to customers seen by S&P Global.

Thus, the price rise, effective 1 August, 2021, will be by 5 cent/lb or USD100/tonne or as current contracts allow.

The present price increase is in addition to any change in monomer pricing, Total said July 16.

As MRC reported earlier, Total Petrochemicals and Refining USA restarted all of its three PP units in La Porte as of 17 June 2021. At the same time, the force majeure (FM) at this plant with an annual capacity of 1.15 million tons/year remained in place as the company attempts to stabilize operating rates and build inventories ahead of the hurricane season. Total Petrochemical declared FM on its PP output after an abrupt loss of electricity supply during a severe weather condition.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP shipments to the Russian market were 607,8900 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 33% year on year. Shipments of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas deliveries of PP random copolymers decreased.

Total is a major energy player, which produces and markets fuels, natural gas and low-carbon electricity. Our 100,000 employees are committed to better energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, our ambition is to become the responsible energy major.
MRC

1. India refiners June crude processing bridled by virus curbs

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Indian refiners' crude throughput in June was little changed from the previous month when it fell to multi-month lows as a severe second wave of coronavirus restrained demand, forcing refiners to reduce runs, said Reuters. Refiners processed 4.50 million barrels per day (18.4 million tonnes) of crude oil in June, provisional government data showed on Friday. This compares with 4.49 million barrels per day (bpd) processed in May, which was the lowest since October 2020. Crude oil imports also fell to a 9-month low in June as refiners curtailed purchases amid higher fuel inventories due to low consumption and renewed lockdowns in the previous two months, data obtained from trade sources showed.


MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Crude oil futures were lower during mid-morning trade in Asia July 26 as concerns over the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus continued to weigh on the market's upward potential, reported S&P Global.

At 11 am Singapore time (0300 GMT), the ICE September Brent futures contract was down 35 cents/b (0.47%) from the previous close at USD73.75/b, while the NYMEX September light sweet crude contract was down 36 cents/b (0.50%) at USD71.71/b.

Both benchmarks experienced significant volatility in the week ended July 23, recovering from a plunge on July 19 to end the week marginally higher. The front-month ICE Brent marker rose 0.69% on the week to settle at USD74.10/b July 23, while front-month NYMEX light sweet crude rose 0.71% to USD72.07/b.

Analysts said that oil market fundamentals remained strong, with improving downstream oil demand in the US and Europe boosting sentiment. Implied oil product demand in the US rose 6.62% on the week to 20.6 million b/d in the week ended July 16, the latest Energy Information Administration report showed July 21.

The ANZ analysts also expressed optimism that rising vaccination rates have reduced the likelihood that countries may retreat into full-blown lockdowns. "With officials from well-vaccinated countries reluctant to reinstate harsh lockdown measures, the risk of demand growth faltering is diminishing," they said.

The uptrend in oil demand has raised concerns of a supply deficit in the market, as the supply-side response from US shale producers remains conservative. These concerns come despite the OPEC+ coalition deciding on July 18 to increase its production quotas by 400,000 b/d each month from August.

As MRC informed earlier, Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude oil exporter, will supply full contractual volumes of August-loading crude to at least five Asian customers. However, Saudi Aramco has turned down two of the buyers' requests for extra barrels.

We remind that Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), said in June he expects the company's deal with Saudi Aramco to materialise this year. Meanwhile, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, chairman of Saudi Aramco and the Governor of the Public Investment Fund, joined the board of Reliance as an independent director.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 953,400 tonnes in the first five months of 2021, which virtually corresponded to the same figure a year earlier. High denisty polyethylene (HDPE) shipments decreased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 607,8900 tonnes in January-May 2021, up by 33% year on year. Shipments of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas deliveries of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC