Oman Octal Building new PET Chemical Plant

Omani-based Octal Petrochemicals is planning a new polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resin capacity of 300,000 tonnes/year and is due to start up in the fourth quarter of 2008 in Salalah.

PET Bottles Manufactured Domestically

Following plastic bottle resin industry small margin, more and more end users are manufacturing their own polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in-house to reduce costs. The trend is increasing.

The situation mostly driven by small margin for PET bottles manufacturer and economies of scale wouldnt help either. There is increasing trend of large PET bottles manufacturer closing their plants.

300ktpa PET Plant in Russia

A joint-venture between Russia's AK Bars Bank and South Korea's KP Chemical has been set-up to build a new 300 thousand tonnes/year capacity polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant in Tatarstan, in central Russia. The PET production facility will be built in the special economic zone of Alabuga with investment cost of $149m.

The technology licensors under consideration includes Switzerland's Buhler and Uhde Inventa Fischer and Lurgi Zimmer.

US Petchem Industry Looking Gloomy Due to Recession

Everyone is talking about it, the US subprime crisis and the recession that is coming in 2008. The recession means less demand and US petchem industry is likely to suffer and be dependent totally on export.

The US housing market seems to have a high bearing on the economy and most business and economic analysts are in tandem with a conclusion that there will be a recession at least in the US in 2008 and this includes the chief of the American Chemistry Council (ACC).

Since end users of petrochemical products include those of housing and construction where most