Repsol to Invest $777 Million in New PP, PE Units in Portugal

Repsol SA is adding two new units at its petrochemicals complex in Sines, Portugal, which will increase the facility’s polypropylene and linear polyethylene and capacity by 300,000 tonnes per year each. Scheduled to be completed in 2025, the new units will be built at subsidiary Repsol Polímeros SA’s petrochemical complex at the Sines Industrial and … Read more

Indian Oil to Build Styrene Monomer Plant

Indian state-cowned refiner IOC’s (Indian Oil Corp.,) board of directors has given stage one approval to build the country’s first styrene monomer (SM) plant at its Panipat refinery and petrochemical complex. The new plant will have a total capacity of 387,000 metric tons per annum. The plant will be built at an estimated cost of … Read more

Celanese to Acquire ExxonMobil’s Santoprene Business for $1.15 Billion

Specialty chemicals firm Celanese announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to buy ExxonMobil Chemical’s Santoprene TPV elastomers business for $1.15 billion. Celanese will acquire the industry-renowned Santoprene brand as part of a comprehensive TPV product portfolio, along with intellectual property, production and commercial assets, and a world-class organization. ExxonMobil’s two manufacturing sites in … Read more

Kumho Petrochemical Invests $225 Million for NB Latex Plant at Ulsan, South Korea

Kumho Petrochemical, a leading synthetic rubber producer in South Korea, approved an investment of 256 billion won ($225 million) to maintain its leadership in the global market for synthetic latex, which is primarily used in health care. The company stated that aggressive investments are required to meet the rapidly increasing demand for nitrile butadiene latex. … Read more

SIBUR to Explore Entry into PP, PE Projects in Kazakhstan

SIBUR and Kazakhstan sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna and state oil and gas company KazMunayGas have signed a framework agreement that could allow the company to take a role in petrochemicals projects in Kazakhstan. The potential cooperation will allow SIBUR to produce Polypropylene (PP) and Polyethylene (PE) in National Industrial Petrochemical Technopark in Atyrau, the Republic … Read more

India’s Adani Group to Invest $4 Billion on Coal-to-PVC Plant

The Adani Group will be developing a new coal-to-polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant in Mundra, Gujarat, India according to an application by the company to India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change. The plant is expected to produce 2 million metric tons per year of PVC grades such as suspension PVC (resin), chlorinated PVC (C-PVC) … Read more

India’s DCW Ltd turns Profitable in Q4 FY20-21

DCW Ltd., an Indian chlor-alkali and PVC manufacturer has reported financial results for the period ended March 31, 2021. Q4 Results The company’s net profit grew to Rs 6.46 crores ($0.89 million) for the period ended March 31, 2021 as against a net loss of Rs 25.05 crores ($3.4 million) for the period ended March … Read more

India’s Indo Rama Synthetics Reports a Net Profit of Rs 128.65 Cr for Q4 FY20-21

Indo Rama Synthetics (India) Limited, one of India’s major polyester manufacturer, announced its results for the quarter and financial year ended March 31, 2021. Q4 Results The company reported a net profit of Rs 128.65 crores ($17.6 million) for the quarter ended March 31, 2021, against a net loss of Rs 50.08 crores ($6.8 million) … Read more

Sumitomo, Sekisui to make Ethylene from Waste-Based Ethanol

Sumitomo Chemical and Sekisui Chemical are moving forward with a project to convert plastic waste into polyolefin, targeting to start up a pilot plant to produce ethylene as a first step. Sumitomo Chemical has established a cooperative relationship with Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. for the social implementation of the technology to manufacture polyolefin using waste … Read more

SK Innovation and Kolon Industries to Jointly Produce Biodegradable PBAT

SK Global Chemical Co., a petrochemical subsidiary of SK Innovation Co., will produce biodegradable plastics together with chemical and textile heavyweight Kolon Industries Inc. from the third quarter of this year. SK Global Chemical and Kolon Industries have signed a strategic partnership on 7th April to produce polybuthylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) plastic, according to the two … Read more

India Imposes Anti-dumping duty on Imports of PET from China

India has levied anti-dumping duties on bottle grade Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) resin imports originating in or exported from China for 5 years. Bottle grade PET imports from China increased from 88,000 metric tonne in FY18 to 147,600 MT in FY19, a 67% rise, while imports from other countries declined, as per govt data. The Directorate … Read more

Plastic Energy and ExxonMobil to Partner on Advanced-Recycling in France

Plastic Energy is collaborating with ExxonMobil Corp. on an advanced recycling project in France that will convert post-consumer plastic waste into raw materials for the manufacturing of virgin-quality polymers. Based on current plans, the project is expected to be one of the largest advanced recycling plants in Europe, with an initial capacity of 25,000 tons … Read more

Thailand’s PTT Global Chemical to Increase Stake in Vinythai

PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited’s (GC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kongkrapan Intarajang, has informed the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) on GC’s proposed acquisition of minority shares of Vinythai Public Company Limited (VNT) through a delisting tender offer. Through this acquisition, GC aims to strengthen its tie with downstream chemicals business that is essential … Read more

US International Trade Commission to Investigate Dumping of PTFE from India, Russia

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) is looking into claims that granular polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) imports from India and Russia are being sold in the US for less than fair value, that they are subsidized by the Indian and Russian governments, and that they are harming US producers. “The USITC determined that there is a reasonable … Read more

SK Innovation to Build Packaging Material Plant in China

SK Global chemical Co., an affiliate of South Korea’s top refiner SK Innovation Co., said Sunday it will build a packaging material plant in China. Under the deal, SK Global chemical will set up a joint venture with Satellite Petrochemical to build a plant that produces ethylene acrylic acid (EAA), a high-end eco-friendly material used … Read more

Indian Oil Corp to develop Plastic Park in Paradip, India

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO) to develop Paradip Plastic Park. Under the MoU, to attract investments in downstream polymer industries at Paradip Plastic Park, IOCL announced a Special Strategic Incentives scheme. An incentive of Rs 2000/MT ($27.48/MT) on Polypropylene granules from … Read more

Sumitomo Chemical Licenses PE/EVA Production Tech to Kazan Organichesky Sintez

Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical is licensing out its high-pressure production process for low density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) to Russian producer Kazan Organichesky Sintez PJSC (KOS), the Japanese firm said. Financial details of the contract and the project’s timeline were not disclosed. KOS is installing a new 100,000 tonne per year PE/EVA facility … Read more

Shintech Invests $1.3B to Increase Capacity at Plastics Plants

Shintech Louisiana LLC announced that the company will invest $1.3 billion to expand its manufacturing and packaging facilities in Iberville and West Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The company, which manufactures polyvinyl chloride resins, or PVC, says will make a $1.25 billion investment to increase PVC manufacturing capacity and expand chlor-alkali and vinyl chloride monomer capacity at … Read more

Celanese to Build Liquid Crystal Polymer Plant in China

Celanese Corporation announced its intent to build a world-scale, multi-phase Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) polymerization plant in China to support the significant growth in its high-value Vectra and Zenite LCP product lines. Site selection is underway, and Celanese is considering both existing and greenfield locations to place its new LCP facility. “5G, ‘Internet of Things’ … Read more

Evonik Buys Polymers Business from Durect Corporation

Evonik has closed its previously announced acquisition of the Lactel Absorbable Polymers product line from Durect Corporation on December 31, 2020. All Durect employees associated with the Lactel business in Birmingham, Ala., accepted the offer to join Evonik in similar roles, according to Essen, Germany-based Evonik. The deal closed Dec. 31, 2020. Evonik will integrate … Read more