Sibur Holdings to Build Worldscale Polypropylene Plant

Russian's petrochemical group of companies, Sibur Holding is planning for a worldscale polypropylene plant which will also become the biggest polypropylene complex in Russia.

The plant will utilize German's technology company, Linde for building the PP plant. The polypropylene plant will have a nameplate capacity of 500,000 tpa capacity.

The PP chemical plant will be located in Tobolsk in the Tyumen region, Russia.

Pertamina Planning to Start Up New Polypropylene Plant in 2011

Pertamina, Indonesia's state-run refinery operator is planning to start up its new 250,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant at Balongan, Indonesia in early 2011. Pertamina is under huge expansion and and rumours of it planning to acquire local polypropylene producer, Polytama Propindo has also been rumoured.

The feedstock for the plant will be coming from Pertamina's new 250,000 tonnes/year of propylene capacity residual fluid catalytic cracker (RFCC) expansion unit in Balongan.

NPC Iran to Start-up New PDH Plant

Iran's National Petrochemical Co (NPC) will be starting up its new 350,000 tonne/year propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant at Bandar Imam, Iran, by 2011 which is currently under construction. So far the propylene product has no outlet for derivative downstream other than planned polypropylene (PP) units at Bandar Imam. It was also reported that phenol-acetone projects are currently underway at Bandar Imam, Iran.

Plastic Futures Available December in Dubai

The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) will be launching the first ever Middle East and Asia plastics futures contracts targeted to be live in December 2008. The products for the Future Exchange will be polypropylene (PP) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE). More plastic derivatives will be inlcuded in the near future.

The futures will be backed up by physical deliverable in warehouses. DMCC selected various locations for the warehouses including Jebel Ali in Dubai, Busan and Gwang Yang in South Korea, Pasir Gudang and Tejung Pelapas in Malaysia, and Singapore.

Lotte Daesan Commissioned South Korea New PP Unit

South Korea based company, Lotte Daesan has commissioned up its new 300,000 tonne/year capacity polypropylene (PP) plant in Daesan. Lotte Daesan complex has previously undergone expansion on its ethylene, benzene, linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), butadiene (BD) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) plants. The PP unit is now under quality control measure before going to market.

Shanghai Petrochemical Expanding Cracker Capacity

Sinopec subsidiary, Shanghai Petrochemical, is in the midst of expanding the capacity of its No 1 cracker to 600,000 tonnes/year from 150,000 tonnes/year to build new chemical plants.

Some of the new chemical units planned are 300,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) unit and a 380,000 tonne/year monoethylene glycol (MEG) facility which may mean that the cracker need to be expanded up to 800,000 tonnes/year.

Natpet's Yanbu Project Gets US$ 125 Million Loan

Saudi National Petrochemical Industries Company (Natpet) has signed a financial agreement with Saudi General Investment Fund for a $125m loan which will be used to finance the company project in Yanbu.

The project consists of a Spheripol PP technology from Basell petrochemical plant with capacity of 400,000 tonnes/year propylene and polypropylene.

Paulinia Polypropylene Plant by Braskem

After years of construction and planning, Brazil petrochemicals major Braskem is starting up a 350,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant at Paulinia in Sao Paulo state in the Brazil which had costed $420million. The feedstock for the plant is supplied by Brazil oil major Petrobras from the refineries in the Sao Paulo state.

The plant is expected to increase Braskem’s overall annual PP production capacity to 1.1million tonnes/year, a producer and market leader in South America.

UAE Borouge Increasing PP/PE Capacity

United Arab Emirates plastics producer, Borouge is planning to increase its polyolefins including Polyethylene and Polypropylene capacity by 2.5m tonnes per annum by the end of 2014 under a feasibility study for the expansion project, codenamed Borouge 3.

The additional feedstock will be supplied Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) through its planned expansions at upstream which if succeeded will boost Borouge's total production capacity to 4.5m tonnes/year to meet the growing demands of polyethylene and polypropylene markets in the Middle East and Asia.

Analysts expect that the feasibility study will be successful since Borouge is a 40:60 joint venture between Borealis and Adnoc.

Malaysia's Titan Polypropylene Capacity Increased to 500 kmta

Malaysia's Titan Chemicals is planning to increase its homo-polymers and co-polymers polypropylene plant up to 500,000 tonnes/year from the current 380,000 tonnes/year in the second half of 2008. This comes after Titan Malaysia completed its metathesis unit which has a propylene production capacity of 130,000 tonnes/year.

Sibur Polypropylene Using INEOS Technology

INEOS has been selected for a contract to provide 200,000 tonne/year Polypropylene plant in southwest Siberia process technology for Sibur's proposed plant in Tomsk, Russia. The construction is expected to start commissioning in 2012.

This will be Sibur's second polypropylene plant using INEOS process technology. Previously, Sibur used INEOS’ Innovene polypropylene process technology for a proposed 500,000 tonne/year PP plant at Tobolsk, Russia.

PetroChina Polypropylene Plant Using Technimont

Italian EPCC company, Maire Tecnimont has been selected to supply the technology license, process engineering and basic engineering services for PetroChina’s new 300,000 tonne/year polypropylene (PP) plant in Daqing, Heilongjiang province. The total package is worth $30 million.

LyondellBasell polypropylene technology Spherizone has been selected making it the eleventh PP plant to be developed using the technology. The Daqing PP chemical plant is expected to be completed by 2010.

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