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Caustic Soda18-Jun-2024
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Potential Tropical Cyclone One
could drop from six-12 inches of rain over
South Texas as it approaches the US Gulf Coast
this week, meteorologists at the National
Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday.
As of 18:00 GMT the storm remains large but
disorganized over the southwestern US Gulf,
with heavy rainfall expected along the Gulf
Coast over the next day or two, the NHC said
and as shown in the following image.
Source: National Hurricane Center
The storm is about 405 miles (655 km) southeast
of Brownsville, Texas, with estimated wind
speeds of 40 miles/hour (65 km/hour), as shown
in the following image.
Source: National Hurricane Center
At this time, most US Gulf Coast chem plant
operations are expected to run as normal
barring any rapid intensification.
So far it does not appear that offshore oil and
gas operations are being impacted.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE) provides daily updates when
storms lead to the evacuation of offshore
production platforms.
There was no update on Tuesday from BSEE.
Production platforms are the offshore
structures from which oil and natural gas are
produced.
Unlike drilling rigs, which can be moved,
production facilities remain in the same
location throughout a project’s duration.
Another disturbance in the southwest Atlantic
has a 10% chance of becoming a cyclone in the
next 48 hours, as shown in the following image.
Source: National Hurricane Center
Environmental conditions are marginally
conducive for some gradual development of this
system during the next few days while it moves
westward or west northwestward.
The system is forecast to approach the coast of
the southeastern United States on Friday.
There is likely to be increased focus on US Gulf
petchem production this summer as the US
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of
hurricanes in the agency’s history.
NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction
Center said that the hurricane season – which
started on 1 June and runs through 30 November
– has an 85% chance to be above-normal, a 10%
chance of being near-normal and only a 5%
chance of being below-normal.
The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the
highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in
2010.
A storm is named once it has sustained winds of
39 miles/hour (63km/h).
Damage from hurricanes can lead to
increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes
and tropical storms can also disrupt the North
American petrochemical industry because many of
the nation’s plants and refineries are along
the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and
Louisiana.
In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the
Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total
US crude oil production and about 2% of total
US dry natural gas production, according to the
US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt
oil and natural gas supplies because companies
often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a
precaution.
Ethylene18-Jun-2024
SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Rains this week in the area
where the Altamira petrochemicals hub is
located, in Mexico’s state of Tamaulipas, could
start fixing the weeks-long drought which has
hit companies in the area hard, according to an
analyst at supply chain consultancy Everstream.
Jena Santoro added that, while force majeures
by industrial players across the board remain
in place, companies are privately saying this
week’s rain could be the beginning of the end
in the drought crisis which has forced many of
them to reduce or shut operations.
The analyst added, however, that extremely dry
land after months of practically no rain could
cause other problems: if rainfall is heavy, the
water may not perforate the land, causing
landslides or floods which could add up
logistical problems.
In mid-May, the government in Tamaulipas
halved water supplies
to industrial players on the back of the
drought. Soon after, petrochemicals companies
operating in Altamira started declaring force
majeures for several products.
Last week, sources said to ICIS that supply was not yet
affected by the operational hurdles related
to the drought, although adding that industrial
players were fearful that a prolonged drought
could have a meaningful impact on both US and
Mexico’s petrochemicals.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Mexico’s
petrochemicals major Orbia said to ICIS the
company’s polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production
out of Altamira remains affected, where the
company has the capacity to produce 690,000
tonnes/year, according to the ICIS Supply &
Demand Database (ISDD).
RAINY SEASONMany parts
in the Gulf of Mexico are expected to receive
considerable rainfall from Wednesday (19 June)
onwards, including Mexico’s state of
Tamaulipas, one of the most affected in a
nation-wide crisis which has jeopardized water
supply to households and companies in several
regions.
“We have a tropical system that just happens to
be moving this week toward Tamaulipas state.
So, I think in the next 24 to 48 hours, the
situation will look very different than what
we’re seeing. That heavily impacted area is
also one of the areas expected to receive heavy
rainfall,” said Santoro.
“The state of Tamaulipas and the Altamira area
in particular are supposed to receive a lot of
rain between June and July, according to our
meteorological department: this week’s storm
system is the beginning of that.”
Companies have been, on average, around four
weeks out of operations or with reduced rates.
That period should be manageable as companies
can work through stocks or bring in product
from other facilities.
However, longer shutdowns could really start
affecting supply and, ultimately, cause a hit
to companies’ financials.
“Nobody has come out publicly saying any
specific timeline or duration [for the current
disruption to end] but, at least from what our
sources are saying and what we are seeing by
monitoring this closely hour by hour, this
could be the beginning of the end of the
crisis,” said Santoro.
“Obviously, in private companies are already
saying this rain is very welcome,” the analyst
went on to say.
FLOODS,
LANDSLIDESHowever, the situation
will not be fully normalized until the rainy
season in June-July concludes, pretty much
because companies will need to be alert for
potential flooding caused by the heavy rains
coming up in the traditionally storm,
hurricane-prone season in the Gulf of Mexico.
After months of little or non-existent
rainfall, the ground is extremely dry and, when
it rains, the water can run off and cause flash
flooding. Dry land is usually hard-packed,
dense, and the pores in the surface can be too
small to absorb water quickly.
“Indeed, we may go from one extreme to the
next: with a lot of rain, there is potential
for flooding in the Altamira area and in
Tamaulipas. On one hand, rains could refill
water reservoirs and ease the drought but in
the same very week they could end up having
different logistical and production challenges
if there is flooding,” said Santoro.
“With flooding, there is potential for things
like landslides and run-offs, which can block
roads and highways, So, companies are hoping
that it will be some kind of happy middle
ground, where the rain is not too extreme as to
present added challenges and issues.”
Front page picture: The Port of Altamira,
Mexico’s state of Tamaulipas
Source: Altamira Municipality
Interview article by Jonathan Lopez
Speciality Chemicals18-Jun-2024
BARCELONA (ICIS)–The EU needs a powerful
industrial strategy to deliver the massive
expansion in renewable energy required to power
energy-intensive sectors which will provide
locally made raw materials, according to a
coalition of regional trade groups.
Europe currently lacks policies to sustain and
grow sectors such as chemicals, cement, steel
and other metals which have suffered an
unprecedented curtailment of production in
recent years due to the impact of the energy
crisis, the groups said in a joint statement
released on Tuesday.
Accelerated wind deployment will be central to
delivering the decarbonization of Europe’s
economy, said the group, adding that wind
already delivers 20% of electricity consumption
in Europe and is therefore a strategic resource
for Europe’s industry.
“Chemicals, steel, aluminium, copper and cement
are all a vital part of the European wind
supply chain. Europe needs strong energy and
electricity intensive industries in order to
deliver the massive expansion of renewables,”
said the group.
It calls for locally produced materials and
equipment for energy and other low-carbon
infrastructure to be made in Europe. That will
require globally competitive clean energy and
access to raw materials.
Energy intensive industries have experienced
unprecedented curtailment of production in
recent years due to the impact of the energy
crisis, said the group. Addressing this
challenge must be at the core of a new
Industrial Deal for Europe. Faster renewables
deployment will help reducing energy bills for
consumers.
According to Marco Mensink, director general of
Europe’s main chemicals trade group Cefic: “We
will only make a business case for Europe and
be able to implement the Green Deal if Europe
creates strong and innovative partnerships,
across multiple value chains. The first step is
to develop a plan for direct electrification
for industry, then we jointly focus to help
create the necessary infrastructure and new
wind energy capacity.”
This joint statement echoes messages in
February’s Antwerp
Declaration for a European Industrial Deal,
signed by more than 1,200 business
leaders.
This new statement is signed by trade groups
Cefic, WindEurope, CEMBUREAU, the European
cement association, steel group EUROFER and
Eurometaux, Europe’s Metals Association.
Europe’s uncompetitive energy and feedstock
cost position has put it at the forefront of a
global wave of permanent plant closures and
restructuring plans.
Click on the image to make it larger.
Thumbnail photo: Cefic’s headquarters in
Brussels, Belgium (Source: Cefic)
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Crude Oil18-Jun-2024
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Singapore’s petrochemical
exports rose by 6.5% year on year to Singapore
dollar (S$) 1.18 billion in May, while overall
non-oil domestic exports (NODX) dipped,
official data showed on Tuesday.
The country’s NODX slipped by 0.1% year on year
to S$14.3 billion in May, extending the 9.6%
decline in April, Enterprise Singapore data
showed.
Singapore’s NODX highlights differing economic
trends between advanced economies and China,
Jester Koh, associate economist at
Singapore-based UOB Global Economics &
Markets Research, said in a note on Tuesday.
“Singapore’s NODX by key markets somewhat
reflects the asynchronous growth path between
advanced economies (namely the US and Eurozone)
versus China,” he said.
“NODX to China remained resilient… which is
consistent with the stronger than expected Q1
2024 GDP although we remain circumspect on the
outlook given the weaker than expected
industrial production and fixed asset
investment data in May while both new and used
home prices continued to contract,” he said.
NODX to the US and EU experienced significant
declines in May, likely due to the impact of
higher interest rates on investment and
consumer spending, Koh noted.
Singapore’s non-electronic NODX, which includes
pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals, fell by
6.0% year on year to S$10.6 billion in May
following the 12.6% contraction in April.
Singapore’s non-electronic NODX to its top 10
markets were mixed in May, with shipments to
China slumping by 24.3%.
Singapore is a major manufacturer and exporter
of petrochemicals in southeast Asia. Its
petrochemicals hub Jurong Island houses more
than 100 global chemical firms, including
energy majors ExxonMobil and Shell.
The continued growth in petrochemical shipments
abroad tracked the improvement in the country’s
overall factory activity in May.
The purchasing managers’ index (PMI) edged up
to 50.6, a 0.1 point gain from the previous
month, data from the Singapore Institute of
Purchasing and Materials Management (SIPMM)
showed on 3 June. This was the ninth straight
month that it remained in expansionary
territory.
A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion in
the manufacturing economy, while a lower number
denotes contraction.
The improvements in the new orders (May: 52.0,
April: 51.7), new export orders (May: 51.3,
April: 51.0) and output (May: 50.9, April:
50.6) sub-indices suggest that underlying
end-demand fundamentals remain intact, UOB’s
Koh said.
“The anticipated easing of financial conditions
towards the latter half of the year as central
banks in major advanced economies begin to
reduce policy rates could provide some
tailwinds to global investment and consumption
activity,” he added.
Meanwhile, supplier delivery times likely rose
in May after vessels were diverted around the
Cape of Good Hope, away from the Red Sea, to
avoid ongoing conflicts, according to Koh.
This rerouting led to an increase in nautical
miles and longer sailing times as corroborated
by the decline in the supplier deliveries
subindices for May, he said.
The overall supplier deliveries PMI sub-index
slipped to 50.3 in May from April’s 50.4.
“The recent port congestion in Singapore may
have been further exacerbated by the announced
increase in import tariffs by the US to target
Chinese exports in strategic sectors such as
semiconductors, EVs, batteries and solar cells
as exporters scramble to ship goods to the US
ahead of the 1 Aug 2024 implementation timeline
for some export categories,” Koh added.
Separately, Singapore’s port authorities are
still dealing with an oil spill that occurred
after a dredger collided with Singapore-flagged
bunker vessel Marine Honour at the
Pasir Panjang Terminal on 14 June.
In its latest update on 17 June, the Maritime
Port Authority (MPA) of Singapore said that oil
recovery assets have been deployed today to
skim and collect the remaining oil spillage off
the water surface to minimise further spread of
the oil.
Port operations have not been affected by the
incident, according to the MPA.
Focus article by Nurluqman
Suratman
Polyethylene18-Jun-2024
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Click here to
see the latest blog post on Asian Chemical
Connections by John Richardson.
China’s chemicals producers are said to be
focusing on being “nimble and agile” in
response to weaker demand growth, ample local
supply of intermediate chemicals and
increasingly sophisticated end-use markets.
This involves producing everything up and down
the value chains only when it makes economic
sense and increasing the differentiation of
grades for a broader range of more
sophisticated applications.
Local producers are reported to be tripling
their range of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene
(PP) and polyurethane (PU) grades as they
broaden their licensing of technologies.
A lot of this differentiation is aimed at
supplying chemicals and polymers for
higher-value downstream industries such as
electric vehicles and batteries.
There are said to be plenty of intermediate
chemicals available locally that can compete
with opportunistic imports.
Local producers of intermediates are also
reported to be able to make better domestic
netbacks than selling overseas.
Customers of the local intermediate producers
increasingly value reliable suppliers who can
provide a wider range of grades, technical
services and local currency deals, I’ve been
told.
The ability of chemicals importers to compete
on price alone seems to be under challenge as a
sustainable business model.
Future winners in China could be the Tier 1
suppliers. These suppliers would make all the
grades necessary to serve ever-more
sophisticated local end-use markets, which
would require constantly successful R&D and
good technical services.
This points towards China becoming a vast
continent-sized market that largely serves
itself in speciality chemicals and composites,
as well as commodity chemicals.
I earlier discussed how self-sufficiency is
increasing in commodity chemicals resulting in
a pivot by “overseas-based” producers to
specialities and composites.
China could become just about entirely
self-sufficient in commodity grades of PP,
polyethylene (PE) and in paraxylene (PX) and
ethylene glycols (EG) by 2030. The latter two
chemicals are of course pure commodities.
Note the above phrase “overseas-based” rather
than overseas, as the foreign investors in
China are in strong positions to take advantage
of this vas and rapidly maturing market.
For reasons discussed today, I don’t believe
that the pivot by overseas-based producers to
specialities and composites will work if it is
based on exporting to China.
What should the overseas-based producers do?
Pretty much forget China as an opportunity as
they focus on the rest of the world.
And here’s the link:
https://www.icis.com/asian-chemical-connections/2024/06/chinas-ever-more-sophisticated-chemicals-markets-could-entirely-serve-itself/
Editor’s note: This blog post is an opinion
piece. The views expressed are those of the
author, and do not necessarily represent those
of ICIS.
Petrochemicals17-Jun-2024
NEW YORK (ICIS)–US-based coatings producer PPG
is seeing robust demand for sustainable
products from customers, some of which rely on
new, more energy efficient processes, said an
executive on Monday.
“Across the board there is strong pull… because
when you look at [our customers’] narrative to
the consumer, everybody is using sustainable
advantage as a way to move market share,” said
Peter Votruba-Drzal, vice president, Global
Sustainability at PPG.
“The challenge is to move with the speed and
agility that’s required from customer
industries. Large, mature industries are
transforming right in front of us – the
powertrain (EV) transformation in automotive,
for example. The same holds when you look at
how they will ultimately paint cars in the
future,” he added.
Votruba-Drzal spoke to ICIS at the New York
Stock Exchange (NYSE).
The time to get new, more sustainable products
to market varies by industry, from being
relatively quick – a matter of months – on the
architectural coatings side, to longer for
automotive, marine, aerospace and packaging, he
pointed out.
MARINE COATINGSIn the
marine sector, the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) is
targeting a 20-30% reduction in greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.
“Marine coatings have a lot of sustainability
benefits that are being pulled by the industry.
The introduction of non-toxic anti-fouling
technologies plus the benefits of fouling
resistance which improves fuel efficiency over
time, helps [shippers] meet their carbon
emissions goals and reduces their cost of
operation,” said Votruba-Drzal.
On 5 June, PPG announced a
collaboration with digital maritime
sustainability platform RightShip to foster the
development and adoption of sustainable marine
solutions.
PPG has a biocide-free silicone hull coating
that helps vessels achieve up to 20% power
savings and up to 35% lower GHG emissions
versus traditional antifouling coatings,
according to the company.
SUSTAINABILITY + COST BENEFIT =
PREMIUMIn most cases, simply
introducing a more sustainable product is not
enough to warrant a price premium, he pointed
out.
“Our customer typically requires improved
performance – lower operating cost, less waste,
energy efficiency – in addition to the
sustainable benefit. We can partner with
customers and create mutual value so that we
both partake in the financial benefits,” said
Votruba-Drzal.
However, in other areas such as Europe’s
architectural coatings market, consumers are
willing to pay more for a more sustainable
solution with the same performance, he added.
Greener specifications, such as from builders
of commercial real estate, are also driving
demand for more sustainable products with lower
carbon footprints, as building owners seek to
achieve certain levels of LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
certifications, he said.
“If we’re working with a coil coatings customer
and can provide a low carbon footprint
solution, they win market share in the
building,” said Votruba-Drzal.
Coil coating is a continuous, automated process
for coating metals prior to fabrication.
TRANSFORMATION IN COIL
COATINGS“In the coil industry, a
fascinating transformation has been happening”,
and only in the past two years or so, the
executive said.
Coil coatings operations are moving from using
football field-length ovens fired by natural
gas, to a much more compact
electron beam system of around 30 yards in
length, he explained.
“You eliminate all of the burning of the fossil
fuel and carbon emissions, as it runs off
electricity which can be renewable power,” said
Votruba-Drzal.
“Here is a mature industry of 50-plus years
that used to be heavily focused on operational
throughput costs on the technology side. Now
suddenly all these formulations are changing
into electron beam curing. And so it resets the
opportunity for market share gains,” he added.
PROGRESS ON SUSTAINABILITY
GOALSPPG in May 2023 introduced
2030 sustainability
goals, including a 50% reduction in Scope 1
and 2 GHG emissions (from operations and
purchased energy) and a 30% reduction in Scope
3 emissions (mostly from purchased raw
materials) from a 2019 base, validated by the
Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Source: PPG
As of its
May 2024 update, it has achieved 10%
reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions, and a 12%
reduction in Scope 3 emissions. PPG has also
assessed 97% of key suppliers against
sustainability and social responsibility
criteria.
Scope 1 and 2 emissions account for only 4% of
PPG’s total carbon footprint. Further
reductions to Scope 1 and 2 will primarily come
from replacing motors and equipment on mixers,
and using more renewable power. The bulk comes
from Scope 3 emissions, with the primary
components being raw materials, and how paint
shops use PPG’s products, said the executive.
Often the location of a supplier’s facility
plays a key role in the carbon footprint of the
products coming out of that site, he pointed
out.
“You can have a material made by a manufacturer
that has operations in Asia as well as in other
regions, that tie into very different
electrical grids. And how green that grid is,
basically impacts the carbon footprint
associated with that product,” explained
Votruba-Drzal.
With global operations, PPG can also provide
the same product at different levels of carbon
footprint, depending on where it makes it, and
ships it from, he added.
RECYCLED AND BIO-BASED RAW
MATERIALSPPG also uses recycled
and bio-based raw materials in certain
formulations. Its Mexico coatings company Comex
uses recycled tires as a filler for waterproof
roof coatings.
Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET),
acrylics, elastomers, polyurethanes and
polyolefins can all be incorporated into
coatings, he noted.
“This is an emerging space of circularity where
getting the scale matters,” said Votruba-Drzal,
who pointed to partnerships between companies
to develop new technologies and ecosystems.
Interview article by Joseph
Chang
Ethylene17-Jun-2024
SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Brazil’s authorities’
response to the devastating floods in Rio
Grande do Sul was appropriate, while that of
civic society was “marvelous and exemplary”,
according to the CEO at chemicals trade group
Abiquim.
Andre Passos is a gaucho himself, as
people from Rio Grande do Sul are called. The
state is one of Brazil’s most industrialized
and is also an agricultural powerhouse.
At the beginning of May, there were concerns
the state’s machinery – all levels: federal,
state and municipal authorities – could not
cope with what Passos described as “five
Katrinas together”, in reference to the
hurricane which devastated New Orleans in the
US in 2004.
Abiquim’s CEO said, however, that the state’s
response proved adequate overall by triggering
the state of emergency and that way allowing
authorities to release large-scale funds
quicker.
Authorities have opened credit lines with
favorable interest rates, although trade groups
in the state have said more
will be needed for the economy to recover.
Passos was more decisive in his praise for
gauchos and Brazilians at large and
how they responded to the crisis: he said he
had been humbled and somehow overwhelmed by
that response.
STATE RESPONSEBrazil’s
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received
some criticism early in the crisis due to his
slow response, and many voices said the state
of emergency should have been declared earlier
than one week after the crisis had started.
Most analysts expect Brazil’s GDP growth to be
negatively affected in 2024 due to the floods.
Manufacturing activity in May sharply slowed down,
the petrochemicals-intensive automotive sector
was heavily
affected and that month’s inflation
figures showed prices rose in part
due to the floods.
Rio Grande do Sul is also home to the Triunfo
petrochemicals hub, key in Brazil’s polymers
chain and which restarted operations late in
May, including the largest producer there,
Braskem.
In early May, some analysts said the floods
were
Lula’s ‘Katrina moment’, in reference to US
President George W Bush in 2004 and how it
became the quintessential example of lack of
leadership skills in a crisis.
According to Passos, Lula – and the state at
large – would have passed the test.
“The Federal authorities took the correct
decision in declaring the state of emergency,
in looking at this crisis an exception, so they
can have the necessary freedom to allocate
resources quicker. We must keep in mind: people
working for the state in Rio Grande do Sul –
for the federal, the state and the local
authorities – were also heavily affected,
personally,” said Passos.
“That undoubtedly will cause a delay in the
response: civil servants’ houses and families
were also in the middle of the crisis. This was
a tragedy the size of five Katrinas, so you
clearly will have an impact in the state’s
capacity to act, but they are coming back and
the response is now being adequate, considering
also the limitations you will have in a country
like Brazil.”
BRAZILIANS’ RESPONSEAmid
the severe destruction, Passos said however the
anonymous acts of kindness of gauchos
in the past six weeks had been overwhelming.
As well as praising those anonymous citizens
who went out of their way to help, he also said
he had been happily surprised to see companies
who, at the moment of the state’s direst needs,
put their corporate interests behind to unite
in their response.
He tells how Abiquim coordinated the
distribution of oxygen during the crisis out of
Rio Grande do Sul’s two plants producing
oxygen, coordinating efforts from the producers
as well as others in the chain who were
necessary to distribute it.
“From the first moment, companies agreed for
Abiquim to have a central role, without
affecting their market share or the
redistribution of customers or anything like
that. We had several challenges at the peak of
the crisis to distribute the oxygen in liquid
form, in trucks,” said Passos.
“That’s where you get those anonymous acts of
heroism. If the truck found a logistical
hurdle, everyone around would literally leave
what they were doing and try to open way for
the truck. Schools, churches, any sort of
public building seemed to turn into refuges to
help those who were forced out of their houses.
Those acts speak of a marvelous civic response,
from gauchos but also from the rest of
Brazilians, who for weeks had Rio Grande do Sul
in their minds and hearts and also helped.”
ICIS published the first
part of this interview on 14 June. In it,
Passos said Abiquim is demanding not only
higher import tariffs, so domestic producers’
market share is protected in the face of
imports, but also a plan to lower natural gas
prices and a stimulus program to support the
chemicals production chain.
Front page picture: Braskem’s facilities in
Triunfo, in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul
state
Source: Braskem
Interview article by Jonathan
Lopez
Caustic Soda17-Jun-2024
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Meteorologists are tracking two
tropical disturbances, one in the US Gulf and
the other in the Atlantic Ocean, but neither
are expected to have any major influence on
chemical plant operations.
In the US Gulf, there is a broad area of low
pressure in the Bay of Campeche and conditions
are conducive for gradual development with a
tropical depression or tropical storm likely to
form by midweek, according to the US National
Hurricane Center (NHC).
Regardless of development, the NHC said several
days of heavy rainfall are expected across
portions of southern Mexico and Central
America.
Locally heavy rainfall is also expected to
spread over northwestern portions of the US
Gulf by the middle of the week.
An area of cloudiness and thunderstorms located
several hundred miles east of the Bahamas is
also showing conditions that could be conducive
for some development over the next few days as
it moves west-northwest, the NHC said.
The system is likely to approach the southeast
US coast by Thursday or Friday.
There is likely to be increased focus on US Gulf
petchem production this summer as the US
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of
hurricanes in the agency’s history.
NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction
Center said that the hurricane season – which
started on 1 June and runs through 30 November
– has an 85% chance to be above-normal, a 10%
chance of being near-normal and only a 5%
chance of being below-normal.
The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the
highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in
2010.
A storm is named once it has sustained winds of
39 miles/h (63km/h).
Damage from hurricanes can lead to
increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes
and tropical storms can also disrupt the North
American petrochemical industry because many of
the nation’s plants and refineries are along
the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and
Louisiana.
In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the
Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total
US crude oil production and about 2% of total
US dry natural gas production, according to the
US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt
oil and natural gas supplies because companies
often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a
precaution.
Ethylene17-Jun-2024
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from
ICIS News from the week ended 14 June.
Higher import
tariffs one leg of wider plan to save Brazil’s
besieged chemicals producers –
Abiquim
Proposals to sharply increase chemicals import
tariffs are only one of the three aspects
Brazil’s chemicals producers have proposed to
the government to save their “besieged”
operations, according to the CEO at trade group
Abiquim.
INSIGHT: Chem
M&A outlook brightens amid surge of deal
announcements
Chemical companies have started the first half
of 2024 announcing potential sales and
separations of several businesses, which could
lead up to busy cycle for mergers and
acquisitions (M&A).
Mexico’s petchems
supply flowing despite Altamira disruption, but
industry crisis could
continue
The drought affecting the Altamira
petrochemicals hub in Mexico’s state of
Tamaulipas is not yet affecting the supply of
chemicals, but the water restrictions for
industrial players could continue, sources said
this week.
US Fed expects
only one cut in 2024, keeps rates
steady
The Federal Reserve lowered its forecast for
rate cuts in 2024 to just one from three as it
voted on Wednesday to keep its benchmark
interest rate steady at 5.25-5.5%.
Canada rail labor
union to hold new strike
ballot
Canadian rail labor union Teamsters Canada Rail
Conference (TCRC) will hold a new strike vote
because an earlier mandate for industrial
action will expire on 30 June, it said in an
update.
Styrolution to
permanently shut Sarnia styrene plant in
Canada
INEOS Styrolution will close its 445,000
tonnes/year styrene production plant in Sarnia,
Ontario, Canada, by June 2026, the company
announced Tuesday.
IPEX: Global spot
index edges down on lower values across all
regions
The global spot ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX)
fell by 0.7% in the week ending 7 June on
losses across all regions, not least northwest
Europe.
Chile’s Petroquim
navigating better than peers pressure from
Asian material – exec
Polypropylene (PP) producer Petroquim is also
facing pressure from lower-priced material sent
from Asia, but the company’s “dedicated”
service to customers has kept its sales spared
from a larger hit, according to the commercial
manager at the Chilean company.
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