Basic chemicals & feedstocks

WPC 2019: China riding wave of cracker projects toward olefins self-sufficiency

The wave of steam crackers coming onstream, under construction, or in the planning stage in China is leading the country toward self-sufficiency in olefins.

ExxonMobil announces $2 billion Vistmaxx, LAO project at Baytown

ExxonMobil has decided to proceed with a $2 billion expansion of its Baytown, Texas, facility that will include a 400,000 metric tons/year unit to produce Vistamaxx performance polymers and a 350,000 metric tons/year unit for a full-range linear-alpha olefin (LAO) unit. 

Shell to return to Qatar as partner in world-scale petchems JV

Shell is expected to partner Qatar Petroleum in the recently revived petrochemical project at Ras Laffan, according to Energy Intelligence publication, citing people with knowledge of the situation. 

Total to increase Leuna, Germany, methanol capacity 20% in €150-million expansion

Total is to increase methanol production at its Leuna, Germany, refinery complex by 20% as part of a €150-million ($168 million) upgrade.

SK Innovation/Sinopec JV acquires Sinopec refinery at Wuhan, China for $2 billion

Sinopec-SK Wuhan Petrochemical Co. (Wuhan, China), a joint venture (JV) between Sinopec and SK Global Chemical (Seoul, South Korea), a subsidiary of SK Innovation, has agreed to buy the Sinopec-owned 170,000-b/d Wuhan refinery in Hubei Province, China, for about 2.2 trillion South Korean won ($1.9 billion).

Aramco to commercialize several crude-to-chemicals technologies

Saudi Aramco is working on at least three new technologies to convert crude oil into chemicals, in addition to the process being developed with Sabic at Yanbu.

Unions accept revised pay offer from Shell at sites in Netherlands, strike action suspended

Unions representing workers at Shell’s 404,000 b/d Pernis refinery and Moerdijk petrochemical complex in the Netherlands have suspended strike action after agreeing in principle to a revised pay offer from the company.

BP, Socar plan to start construction of PTA, p-xylene project in Turkey next year

BP and Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company Socar (Baku) plan to start construction of their previously announced petrochemicals joint venture in Turkey at the end of 2020.

Featured data

Naphtha output in OECD countries

Naphtha accounted for almost 72% of total petrochemical feedstocks consumption in 2018...

Podcast

Feedstocks outlook

IHS Markit's Kurt Barrow chats with CW about the outlook for petrochemical feedstocks, and other refining-related topics. Live from the 2019 World Petrochemical Conference in San Antonio, Texas.