By Malini Hariharan If you are moving a project to a new location then why not take some time to re-examine its configuration? That appears to be the thinking at Saudi Aramco and Dow Chemical for their proposed cracker and derivatives complex in Saudi Arabia. As reported on this blog recently, the mega petrochemical project […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Reliance eyes 2014 start for Jamnagar cracker
By Malini Hariharan Reliance Industries is moving ahead with its Jamnagar cracker project and is looking at completing it in 2014, reports ICIS news. Preliminary activity on the project, which was put on hold after the 2008 economic crisis, has resumed. Discussions are on for technology selection and a firm start up date will be […]
Indonesia is back on the projects scene
By Malini Hariharan After a decade of inactivity since the Asian financial crisis, Indonesia is once again drawing attention. Two news reports indicate that companies are evaluating major investments in refining and petrochemicals. Taiwan’s Chinese Petroleum Corp (CPC) is said to be planning a $2.8bn petrochemical complex at Kalimantan in Indonesia. Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for […]
Good Chance Of Polyolefin Trough Delay
By John Richardson THE betting remains on trough conditions arriving for polyolefins at some point later this year with new supply expected to begin to severely lengthen markets towards the end of Q2. A temporary buying strike in China that dragged on for too long – following overbuilding of local resin inventories – has helped […]
Commodity Stockpiles A Risky Bet
By John Richardson Inventories of copper, aluminium, lead and nickel have risen as prices for all these commodities have also surged, says this article in The Economist. Source of graph: The Economists Copper stocks total half a million tonnes in metals-exchanges warehouses in what HSBC analyst Andrew Keen describes as a market […]
China Polyolefns: Trying To See Through The Data
Source of picture: www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/newslet/sum…mber.htm By John Richardson Hope springs eternal when it comes to trying to fathom the direction of the polyolefin market in China. One particular hope rests on March import numbers from China Customs, due to be released later this month. The data might just give a pointer to the extent […]
Surge in Saudi-US PE Exports Reported
Heading West,,Jeddah’s container port Source of picture: http://ofwngayon.com/home/?p=257 By John Richardson SABIC has increased its exports of PE to the US in response to high pricing and what could be weaker demand in China, a source with a North American producer told the blog earlier this week. “I have heard of more linear-low […]
China: Playing the Devil’s Advocate
Jim Chanos gets it right more than 70% of the time (unlike Alan Greenspan) Source of picture: New York Post Somebody has to play the devil’s advocate, but having just finished reading Gillian Tett’s excellent Fool’s Gold about the financial crisis, this is about more than just trying to provoke a response; it’s […]
Muddled Messages Over Yuan Revaluation
Source of picture: www.thewecc.com By John Richardson Confusing messages continue to emerge from Beijing over whether a revaluation of the Yuan is imminent, a debate that has major implications for the chemicals industry. The Financial Times reported this morning that senior government economist Ba Shusong had said that China could widen the currency’s […]
IOC moves ahead with Panipat cracker
By Malini Hariharan Commissioning activity at Indian Oil Corp’s (IOC) new cracker and derivatives complex at Panipat, India, is progressing well, according to a company source. Operations at the new 857,000 tonnes/year cracker have started. “Onspec propylene is in the storage tank and ethylene is expected in a day or two,” he said. Among the […]
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