Entries from India Chemicals Blog tagged with 'petrochemicals'
Divine intervention needed
A reader of this blog has alerted me about serious problems at Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL). An electrical short circuit has forced the company to stop operations at one crude distillation unit, two hydrocracker units, two visbreaker units,...
Empty promises
The 100-day fever is fast spreading and the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilisers is the latest casualty. A very bland press release outlining what the ministry plans to achieve over the next three months has come my way. I started...
New Mangalore refinery shelved
ONGC has taken a difficult but sensible decision. It has finally shelved plans for a new 15m tonnes/year refinery and petrochemical complex at Mangalore. The project had been facing considerable resistance from the local population. In addition, questions were being...
Naphtha is back in fashion
A steep drop in petrochemicals demand had dragged down naphtha prices in the last two months. But low prices have stinulated demand, not only from crackers but also from fertiliser and power plants. With naphtha below $300/tonne, some Indian...
Double trouble
It's a double whammy for Reliance Industries. Not only have petrochemical margins dwindled but gross refining margins (GRM) have also fallen sharply in the last two months. One report suggests that the company recorded negative refining margins in October and...
Aramco for Vizag?
Saudi Aramco is now being talked about as a prospective investor in the Hindustan Petroleum Corp (HPCL) led refinery and petrochemical complex at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Talks are on to bring in Aramco, says HPCL's chairman in this report...
Kakinada update
ONGC has decided to exit from the Kakinada refinery and petrochemicals project. But the project is alive as the GMR group remains interested. I think ONGC made the right decision. It will be interesting to see if GMR will be...
Kakinada attracts GMR
Oil and Natural Gas Corp's (ONGC) Kakinada project continues to attract investors despite questions about its viability. The GMR group is the latest and is reported to have formally expressed interest in taking a stake in the refinery and...
Watch Out!
It is time for the Indian chemical industry to wake up to the threat of increased flow of downstream chemicals from the Middle East. Countries such as Saudi Arabia are aggressively pushing for the development of a petrochemicals industry that...
Paradip petchems postponed
After years of planning and crossing many hurdles IOC has now decided to defer the petrochemical portion of its Paradip project. The decision comes at a time when the company is struggling to cope with huge losses on account of...
Petchem politics
Will politics help Indian petrochemical companies gain access to cheap Saudi feedstock? Well, the government appears to be making an effort in this direction. During his visit to Saudi Arabia last week, India's external affair minister emphasised the need for...
Another one bites the dust?
Yet another project appears to be fallen through. This time it is Chennai Petroleum Corp's (CPCL) refining and petrochemicals venture at Ennore in Tamil Nadu. Indian Oil Corp's (IOC) chairman Sarthuk Behuria said in a press conference yesterday that the...
Trouble at Paradip
I was under the impression that there are no major hurdles to Indian Oil Corp’s (IOC) refinery and petrochemical project at Paradip. But I came across this news yesterday that the viability of the project is in question following the...
Ask for more!
Indian managers looking for job opportunities in the Middle East will find this report interesting. A Middle East salary survey carried out by bayt.com (a Middle East-based jobs website) shows that while salaries rose by 12-17% last year, the cost...
EU FTA hurdle
The EU has included many chemicals, petrochemicals and plastics in the negative list that is part of the FTA discussions. Products on the list would not get any duty concessions. The move is a major obstacle for Indian companies eyeing...
Gas policy to favour fertilisers
India’s draft natural gas utilisation policy is expected to prioritise the requirements of the fertiliser sector over petrochemicals. The enormous volumes of gas generated from the fields of the east coast and west coast India would be first given to...
Reliance plans EPC venture
After cracking the world of oil, gas, refining and petrochemicals Reliance Industries is setting its sights on the engineering, procurement and services (EPC) sector says this report in today’s Economic Times. A blueprint for a global EPC business is said...
Barauni beckons
State-owned IOC and Gail appear to have been drawn into yet another futile petrochemical project by politicians. This time it is in Barauni, Bihar. IOC operates a 6m tonnes/year refinery at Barauni but this is unlikely to yield sufficient feedstock...
Kakinada & Nayachar: back on popular demand
A new year brings in new resolutions and this time around ONGC appears to have recommitted itself a refinery project in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, despite doubts about its viability. And over in West Bengal, the state government is determined to...
IOC eyes Egypt
Indian Oil Corp (IOC) is the latest entrant to Egypt. The country’s oil minister has said that talks are on for a $9bn refinery and petrochemical complex. A feasibility study is likely to be ready by mid-2010 after which IOC...
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