By Malini Hariharan As Asian markets head towards a quiet week, producers are probably hoping that developments in other regions will support their efforts to raise prices once trading resumes after the Chinese New Year holidays in the first week of February. European producers successfully raised February ethylene contract price by Euro25/tonne while propylene moved […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Petronas gets busy
By Malini Hariharan How many projects is Petronas Chemical planning? Last week the blog had covered an ICIS news report which referred to a study on 1m tonnes/year ethane cracker and derivative units at Kerteh. Now a report from UBS says Petronas Chemical is looking at making operational improvements at its two existing crackers at […]
India’s OPaL inches forward
By Malini Hariharan Regular readers of the blog will remember a November post that had highlighted delays at ONGC Petro-Additions Ltd’s (OPaL) 1.1m tonnes/year cracker project at Dahej on the west coast of India. This time there is some progress to report. OPaL has finally selected Chevron Philips Chemical to provide technology for a standalone […]
Polyolefin Producers Maintain Their Control
Source of picture: Dallhouse University, Canada By John Richardson THE incredibly smart way in which polyolefin producers have managed production since the great collapse of September 2008 continues to defy what appear to remain some very uncertain, and some cases weak, macro-economic fundamentals. As we discussed on Wednesday, China faces a significant demand-growth gap […]
A Repeat Of The 2008 Collapse On The Cards
“Only another thousand or so years to go…..” Source of picture: Atlantic Council By John Richardson HERE we go again, eh? Yes, as rising crude-oil prices and overall inflation pose a major threat to the petrochemicals industry. Nothing the blog has read or heard over the last two weeks has given […]
Petronas mulls cracker at Kerteh
By Malini Hariharan There is finally some movement at Petronas. After last month’s joint announcement with BASF on a study for a Euro1bn investment in speciality chemicals, news has emerged that the Malaysian major is also exploring the feasibility of a new petrochemical complex at Kerteh. The complex would have a 1m tonnes/year ethane cracker […]
Qapco studies expansion and Echem looks to Sabic
By Malini Hariharan Investment activity is picking up in Qatar. After Total, Shell and ExxonMobil confirmed their interest in new projects, Qatar Petrochemical Co (QAPCO) is talking on expanding its cracker. The company is working on expanding its 720,000 tonne/year cracker to 900,000 tonnes/year by the first quarter of 2014, said QAPCO’s board director and […]
Saudi Petchems Blighted By Logistics
By John Richardson ONE of the many factors behind petrochemicals supply being less than expected during 2010 has been logistics problems in Saudi Arabia. One trader we spoke to on the sidelines of last month’s Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) conference in Dubai told us that one particular complex was struggling to accurately complete […]
Gaping Chasm Between Effective, Real Op Rates
By John Richardson A gaping chasm has opened up over the past 18 months between nameplate capacities and effective operating rates, resulting in much greater focus on the latter. It isn’t easy and it is getting ever-more complicated to assess the actual volumes likely to hit markets. There is a considerably well-supported school of thought […]
Dalian offers hope …but naphtha continues to climb
By Malini Hariharan The good news for polyolefin producers is that prices in China are inching up supported by an upward movement in the key linear low-density polyethylene (lldPE) futures contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE). The arbitrage window has opened with the Dalian contract for May at CNY12,800/tonne and spot prices at CNY11,100-11,300/tonne. […]
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