Entries from Chemicals & The Economy tagged with 'She;ll'
Oil markets break out of their 'triangle'
There has never been any fundamental basis for the rise in oil prices over the past 3 years: • At no time has there been any actual shortage of product • In fact, inventories have always been at comfortable levels...
5th Asian Aromatics Conference in Singapore
The blog is delighted to be in Singapore next month, for its 5th Asian Aromatics & Derivatives Conference. It will be the ideal moment to review the challenges facing the industry, and develop plans for H2. As always, the Conference...
Shell sees "supply revolution" in natural gas
Natural gas markets, so important in relation to chemical feedstock availability and pricing, are undergoing major change as we transition to the New Normal. The Middle East, which had been in surplus, is now moving to a more balanced position...
Saudi Aramco to extend shale gas search
The summer has seen several reports of reductions in ethane availability to Saudi petchem plants. This seems to have been due to two causes: • Saudi has cut back oil production by a third (4mbd) in order to comply with...
Deepwater Horizon raises 'licence to operate' issues
The chemical industry can be very proud of what it has achieved with the Responsible Care programme since 1985. But it may need to consider how this develops, in the light of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. One key question emerged...
Shell's 30-year rule for new energy technology adoption
Shell CEO Peter Voser has made a fascinating speech in China, where he highlights the length of time taken for new energy technologies to gain adoption. He says Shell's research shows it takes "30 years for new energy types to...
The need for innovation during the downturn
The blog was recently interviewed by ICIS' Anna Jagger at Vienna Airport, on its way back from the World Refining Conference. The conversation covered the need for companies to focus on innovation, as well as on survival, during the...
CEOs remain cautious over 2010 Outlook
The blog's quarterly survey of company Outlook statements shows CEOs remain very cautious. There has been a rebound after the destocking disaster of Q4 2008 - Q1 2009. But there seems little confidence that we will quickly return to the...
Wise words from Shell, BASF and Reliance
In difficult times, the industry looks to the major companies for their advice. And they certainly provided this at our 8th European Conference (co-organised with ICIS), Shell's Jonathan Forbes-Lane, European GM, focused on the "gale-force recession" now underway. He expected...
Companies remain cautious on the outlook
The good news is that the stabilisation seen in Q2 has been maintained. But companies remain cautious on the outlook, to judge from Q3 reports. CEOs are sceptical about the impact of government stimulus efforts in the West, and fear...
Difficult times call for tough decisions
Downturns are difficult times. There is always the hope that markets might improve, and this can delay the implementation of tough decisions on plant closures. Nobody wants to shut down, and then see a competitor benefit from an improving market....
$26bn LyondellBasell restructuring hits legal minefield
Vita's restructuring was relatively simple from a legal point of view, as it just involved European rules. But Lyondell Chemical's bankruptcy filing last month under the US Chapter 11 process seems to have thrown up some very complex legal issues....
LyondellBasell files for bankruptcy
LyondellBasell has become the largest-ever chemical company bankruptcy, just 12 months after its formation. Its US operations (Lyondell Chemical Co), and Basell Germany Holdings GmbH, filed for Chapter 11 protection in New York tonight. The company expects its other non-US...
Asian naphtha falls below $300/t
ICIS is reporting today that Shell sold open spec naphtha to Cargill at $267 CFR Japan, for the first half of January. Normally the naphtha: crude ratio is around 9.5: 1. But with January Brent at $66/bbl, the ratio is...
SABIC warns on demand
As the blog noted earlier this month, everyone looks to the majors for guidance during difficult times. It therefore welcomes today's comments from SABICs CEO, Mohamed Al-Mady, when announcing their Q3 results. SABIC are probably the strongest petchem producer in...
Shell, Saudi Aramco to build new $7bn US refinery
Shell and Saudi Aramco have now confirmed plans to spend $7bn to build what they term ‘the first new refinery in the U.S. in more than 30 years’. They will achieve this by adding 325,000 barrels per day (b/d) to...
A tale of two outlooks
If you read the financial pages of your newspaper, everything sounds rosy. But if you turn to the news section, its all gloom. Both views can’t continue to exist alongside each other for ever. Whichever scenario comes out on top,...
The 10th anniversary of the Asian financial crisis
2 July 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the Asian financial crisis, which began with the devaluation of the Thai baht. Visiting the country 10 years later, the situation has changed quite dramatically from those panic-stricken days....
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