Russia Jan-May PVC production up by 6% year on year

MOSCOW (MRC)–Russian polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production rose by 6% in January-May year on year, according to MRC’s ScanPlast report.

Overall production reached 422,900 tonnes compared to 400,700 tonnes in the same period a year earlier, with plants raising their output except for Kaustik Volgograd.

May total production of unmixed PVC decreased to 79,600 tonnes from 83,200 tonnes a month earlier, with Kaustik Volgograd and RusVinyl decreasing their capacity utilisation.

The structure of PVC production looked the following way over the stated period:

RusVinyl (JV of SIBUR and SolVin) produced about 24,600 tonnes of PVC in May, with emulsion polyvinyl chloride (EPVC) accounting for 2,600 tonnes, compared to 26,700 tonnes a month earlier.

Overall PVC production at RusVinyl was 140,700 tonnes in January-May, up by 11% year on year.

Such a significant increase in production was down to a lack of long maintenance works.

SayanskKhimPlast produced 27,600 tonnes of suspension PVC (SPVC) last month, whereas this figure was 27,200 tonnes in April. The Sayansk plant produced around 135,700 tonnes of resin in January-May compared to 122,800 tonnes a year earlier.

Baskhir Soda Company produced 23,800 tonnes of SPVC in May versus 22,200 tonnes a month earlier.

Total SPVC production at Baskhir Soda Company increased to 114,900 tonnes in the first five months of this year, compared to 111,400 tonnes in the same period of 2018.

Kaustik (Volgograd) produced about 3,500 tonnes of SPVC in May, compared with 6,900 tonnes in April.

The decrease was a result of scheduled maintenance works which started on 15 May.

Kaustik’s overall production of PVC reached 31,800 tonnes in the first five months of 2019 versus 39,500 tonnes a year earlier.

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