Russia PVC production up 12% in Q1 2017 year on year

MOSCOW (MRC)–Production of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in Russia increased to about 224,700 tonnes in the first three months of this year, up 12% compared to the same period of 2016, with an increase in volumes from Bashkir Soda Company and SayanskKhimPlast, according to MRC ScanPlast.

March production of unmixed PVC in Russia decreased to 72,600 tonnes, compared with 73,300 tonnes in February 2017. Only SayanskKhimPlast decreased PVC production in March.

Overall PVC production reached 224,700 tonnes in January-March 2017, compared to 200,600 tonnes a year earlier. Such a high level of growth in production was a result of long forced shutdown of SayanskKhimPlast in February-July last year.

The structure of PVC production by plants looked the following way over the stated period.

RusVinyl (joint venture of SIBUR and SolVin) in March produced slightly more than 27,000 tonnes of PVC, with less than 2,500 tonnes of that volume emulsion polyvinyl chloride (EPVC), compared with 25,300 tonnes in February. Total SPVC production at RusVinyl exceeded 77,600 tonnes in January-March 2017, almost equal to last year’s level.

SayanskKhimPlast decreased capacity utilisation last month with the plant’s SPVC production reaching 15,800 tonnes, whereas this figure was 20,800 tonnes in February. SayanskKhimPlast’s production of SPVC over the three months totalled 59,600 tonnes against 35,300 tonnes year on year (the low production in 2016 was forced long shutdown in February-July).

Bashkir Soda Company (BSC) in March 2017 produced about 22,100 tonnes of suspension PVC (SPVC), while in February it was 20,200 tonnes.

The producer’s PVC production increased to 65,000 tonnes in the first three months of 2017, compared with 64,000 tonnes in the same period the previous year.

Kaustik (Volgograd) in March slightly increased SPVC production, reaching about 7,700 tonnes, compared with 7,000 tonnes in February.

Total SPVC production at the plant over the reported period reached 22,600 tonnes, compared with 23,700 tonnes year on year.

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