Russia’s PVC output rose 15% in 2017

MOSCOW (MRC)–Russia’s overall production of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) grew in 2017 by 15% year on year to 906,200 tonnes, according to a MRC ScanPlast report.

During 2017, only two plants out of four increased their output in the country. The high level of output growth this year was a result of the low stocks of 2016.

SayanskKhimPlast managed to manufacture 263,500 tonnes of resin in January-December 2017, compared to 142,800 tonnes a year earlier.

The company’s low output levels in the previous year were caused by a long outage from mid-February to July 2016.

RusVinyl’s overall production of resin reached 312,700 tonnes in the twelve months of 2017, up by 2% year on year.

Bashkir Soda Company’s output of resin totalled about 243,000 tonnes in the first twelve months of 2017, compared to 248,700 tonnes a year earlier.

The plant’s lower output was largely caused by the forced shutdown in August because of problems with the supply of ethylene.

Kaustik Volgograd’s overall production of resin reached 87,000 tonnes over the stated period versus 88,500 tonnes a year earlier.

Russia’s December 2017 PVC output practically remained at the November’s level at 85,700 tonnes.

RusVinyl (JV SIBUR and SolVin) last month reduced the capacity utilisation, the enterprise produced about 29,700 tonnes of emulsion polyvinyl chloride (EPVC) in December, against 28,500 tonnes a month earlier.

SayanskKhimPlast decreased capacity utilisation in December, having produced about 24,800 tonnes of suspension PVC (SPVC) compared to 26,200 tonnes a month earlier.

Bashkir Soda Company produced 23,100 tonnes of SPVC last month versus 22,600 tonnes in November.

Kaustik Volgograd last month produced about 8,100 tonnes of SPVC, compared with 8,000 tonnes in November.

MRC, a partner of ICIS, produces polymers news and pricing reports from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.