We heard about this rumour last year, but it’s emerged again – Reliance is now said to be in advanced discussions for acquiring Nova Chemicals. Nova’s Alberta-based cracker and PE production might be attractive because of pretty competitive, locked-in gas prices, but would Reliance really want its styrenics business – the asset that’s officially on the block?
And surely, a tie-up with Dow would be a much better proposition.
At the rate that things are going, India, the Middle, and possibly China, could own nearly all the western petrochemical majors in 10 years time.
