Source: Japan Petrochemical Industry Association By John Richardson JAPAN’S petrochemicals industry remains in consolidation mode, as my ICIS colleague Nigel Davis writes in this article. And, as the chart above shows, Japan’s ethylene output continues to fall. It was down 8% to 6.146 million tonnes in 2012 year-on-year. Future consolidation includes: *Mitsubishi Chemical’s planned closure of […]
Asian Chemical Connections
Petro Rabigh phase 2 and Aramco’s ambition
By Malini Hariharan Petro Rabigh, the Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical joint venture, has moved to the next round of its ambitious phase 2 expansion which includes a new aromatics facility and a number of value-added derivatives. Construction tenders for seven packages have been issued and bidding is due to close on 1 October. Tenders […]
December Polyolefin Price-Rise Bid Will Fail
By John Richardson and Malini Hariharan in Shanghai A TWO-TIER China polyolefin market had developed in China over the last couple of years – but the $64,000 question right now is: At which of these two levels will most business be settled during December? The ever-volatile Dalian Commodity Exchange determines the day-by-day sentiment, while overseas […]
It helps to have the right partner
By Malini Hariharan And Sumitomo Chemical has discovered this. The company recently said that PetroRabigh, its joint venture with Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia, has managed to secure fresh ethane allocation of 30m scf of ethane for a second phase of projects. Ethane is running short in Saudi Arabia and getting an allocation, even a […]
Disappointment in India…speculation on Rabigh
By Malini Hariharan (Malini is now joint blogger for Asian Chemical Connections) The 17 Nov public hearing arranged by the Indian government at Delhi to discuss provisional anti dumping duties levied on PP imports from Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Oman was postponed at the very last minute causing a great deal frustration among lawyers and […]
The more the merrier
By Malini Hariharan (Malini is now joint blogger for Asian Chemical Connections) Sumitomo Chemical and Saudi Aramco appear to be in a generous mood. After successfully launching the first phase of their joint venture and starting work on the second phase the two are willing to welcome others to the Rabigh party. Pic source: Saudi […]
Caution is the name of the game
By Malini Hariharan (Malini is now joint blogger for Asian Chemical Connections) Japanese chemical majors have raised their sales and profit forecasts for the second half of the fiscal year ending 31 March 2010, but the revisions are marginal and companies are still holding a conservative outlook. Earnings in the first half of this fiscal […]
A drowning man will clutch onto anything
Peak Oil, Deutsche Bank, gas pricing, coal-o-chemicals, coal gasification, PetroRabigh, Saudi Aramco, Sumitomo Chemical
Japan’s corporate hero
manga, Japanese conformism, losing face, Lost Decade
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