Basic chemicals & feedstocks
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Para-xylene markets braced for impact of China capacity glut
Para-xylene (p-xylene) markets in Asia have entered a phase of huge capacity additions, particularly in China, that are expected to depress plant operating rates worldwide, and drive down prices and margins.
Attacks on Aramco facilities have massive impact on petrochemicals production
Drone attacks on Abqaiq, the world’s largest oil-processing facility, and on the Khurais oil field in Saudi Arabia are causing massive disruption to feedstock supplies.
LyondellBasell and Bora sign agreement for Chinese cracker JV
LyondellBasell has signed an agreement with Liaoning Bora Enterprise Group (Bora; Panjin, China) to form a joint venture (JV) in northeast China that will initially operate a 1.1-million metric tons/year ethylene cracker to produce olefins and polyolefins.
Attacks on Saudi oil facilities spark rally in Asian aromatics markets
Aromatics markets in Asia rallied on Monday after Brent crude futures surged following the weekend attacks on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
Octane demand widens spread between FOB Korea, Chinese domestic price for isomer mixed xylenes
Isomer-grade mixed xylenes in China’s domestic market now command at least a $100/metric ton premium over the FOB Korea price, IHS Markit data show.
Sarawak Petchem breaks ground on large methanol plant in Malaysia
Samsung Engineering (Seoul) today held a groundbreaking ceremony for Sarawak Petchem’s methanol plant at Bintulu, Sarawak, in Malaysia.
India's ONGC planning buyout of OPaL petchem complex
State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC; New Delhi, India) is planning to buy out the share of the ONGC Petro Additions Ltd.
PKN Orlen licenses UOP process to improve ethylene and aromatics yields
PKN Orlen (Plock, Poland), the country’s leading petrochemicals producer, has licensed the UOP MaxEne process, which can increase production of ethylene and aromatics and improve the flexibility of gasoline production.
Borealis breaks ground on Kallo PDH plant
Borealis has held a groundbreaking ceremony for its second propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant on its existing production site at Kallo, Belgium.
MEGlobal inaugurates Texas ethylene glycol unit
MEGlobal today inaugurated its 750,000-metric tons/year ethylene glycol (EG) unit at Oyster Creek, Texas. The plant is in final start-up stages and expected to produce on-spec product within 30 days, officials say.
Benzene spot prices higher in Europe ahead of styrene plant maintenance
European spot benzene prices for September are approaching $900/metric ton CIF Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) in a market that has been synonymous with volatility from the latter part of August to date.
Featured data
US ethane and ethylene exports on upward curve
Worldwide production of ethylene totaled 160 million metric tons (MMt/y) in 2018.
Polyolefins feedstocks & markets
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Bow wave: Tide turning for marine chemical transportation
A bow wave of chemical exports from the US and Middle East is building up speed. Propelled by a line of export-oriented petrochemical projects coming onstream, this surge is having a profound effect on the worldwide flow of waterborne liquid chemicals and plastic resins.
Waste crisis, slowing economy lead discussion at Global Plastics Summit
The global economic slowdown, the trade war between the US and China, and the risk of recession repeatedly entered discussions during IHS Markit’s 2019 Global Plastics Summit, held this week in Houston, Texas, but no topic received more attention than the crisis around plastics waste.
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