1. GPCA Urges Petchems Firms To Save Water

    ...ange their procedures overnight.” Some producers are already improving their water usage, says GPCA. Abu Dhabi’s Borouge requires more than 1 bcm/year of water to make plastics, but during 2011-12 it saved 24mn cu ms of fresh water by using cold sea water in its manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, GP...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 51/52
    Published at Fri, 20 Dec 2013
  2. Egypt: Styrene Plant Go-Ahead

    ...ant will feed an existing on-site polystyrene plant which currently imports feedstock. Construction is expected to take 30 months. E-Styrenics licensed the ethylbenzene and styrene process technologies from US firm Badger Licensing in 2011. Ethylene and benzene feedstocks will be combined to form et...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 50
    Published at Fri, 13 Dec 2013
  3. QPI Steps Back From Tunisia Refinery Project

    ...newed this interest after the 2011 revolution that ousted former president Zein al-‘Abidine Ben ‘Ali.   Recent political developments may have played their part in QPI's decision. The moderate Islamist Ennahda party has agreed to relinquish power to a caretaker government that is to prepare fo...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 43
    Published at Fri, 25 Oct 2013
  4. Iraq Signs Misan Deal With Satarem As Refineries Program Gathers Pace

    ...r Misan refinery in 2009. These were completed in early 2011. In 2010, US firm KBR was awarded contracts by the oil ministry for licensing and basic engineering for a 47,500 b/d fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit and a 45,000 b/d solvent deasphalting unit to be built at the Misan refinery. The mi...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 42
    Published at Fri, 18 Oct 2013
  5. Algeria Launches Biskra Amid Problems For North African Refiners

    ...5 Completion of 35,000 b/d expansion in May 2013 took Skikda capacity to 335,000 b/d. Egypt 726 Egypt’s net product demand nearing refining capacity before 2011 regime change. Libya 38...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 41
    Published at Fri, 11 Oct 2013
  6. Jubail Specialty Chemicals Boost

    ...e MMA unit is set to be the largest ever and will incorporate MRC’s proprietary Alpha technology, which uses methanol, ethylene and carbon monoxide as feedstock. At the launch of the joint venture in 2011 to build the plants, a SABIC official described Alpha as a “breakthrough technology.”   Me...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 40
    Published at Fri, 04 Oct 2013
  7. Petro Rabigh Cracker: Limited Restart

    ...488.9mn ($130.4mn) for 2012 and SR65.9mn ($17.6mn) for 2011, when a “plant shutdown was experienced due to periodical test and inspection.”   In related news, Petrochem reported to the Tadawul exchange on 24 September that its polymer plant was forced to shut down for 10-12 days due to a fault wi...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 39
    Published at Fri, 27 Sep 2013
  8. Abu Dhabi Puts Tacaamol Back On Track With Aromatics FEED

    ...omatics compounds. Subsequently the Tacaamol owners – Chemaweyaat (51%) and IPIC (49%) – decided to make the plan more manageable by splitting Tacaamol into three phases.   UK-based Halcrow Group, which was acquired by CH2M Hill in November 2011, was awarded a contract in December 2010 to develop th...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 37
    Published at Fri, 13 Sep 2013
  9. Bahrain Opts For 360,000 B/D Expansion

    ...rks a scaling back – amid financing concerns – from earlier more ambitious plans for expansion to 450,000 b/d and beyond (MEES, 19 December 2011).   The $5-6bn project will be completed in steps with the first phase to come online in 2017 and the final phase in 2020. Originally Bapco hoped to se...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 37
    Published at Fri, 13 Sep 2013
  10. Qatar Nears Full GTL Output, Eyes Competitors’ Projects

    ...ntribution” to growth. The plant sold its first product shipment in June 2011.   South Africa’s petrochemical producer Sasol has also boosted output and plans a further increase at its 32,400 b/d Oryx project, Qatar’s other GTL plant – QP (51%) and Sasol (49%). It may have finally reached full stable ou...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 33
    Published at Fri, 16 Aug 2013
  11. OPEC’s MENA Refiners Holding Steady Ahead Of Capacity Surge

    ...fects of frequent disruptions through workers’ protests and militia operations. Meanwhile, Algeria’s recent data has been impacted by major upgrades at Skikda refinery (MEES, 19 July).OPEC said that total refining capacity of member countries fell by 1.4% in 2012 compared with 2011. The organization he...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 33
    Published at Fri, 16 Aug 2013
  12. GCC Polypropylene Boosted By Conversion Push

    ...bolstering demand for PP in a region which has long been a net exporter.   The GCC PP resin market for local conversion was worth $983mn in 2011, says Frost & Sullivan, but is expected to grow to $1.366bn by 2016. “GCC states’ easy access to PP resin, owing to their large oil and gas re...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 30
    Published at Fri, 26 Jul 2013
  13. Iran Takes Steps Towards Planned Tripling Of Gasoline Output

    ...ans (B/D)   From To Status At Existing Refineries     Arak 29,370 99,840 On-line November 2011...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 27
    Published at Fri, 05 Jul 2013
  14. Indonesia Spikes Aramco Refinery, Knocks Back KPC

    ...r similar tax breaks made by state-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) overseas downstream subsidiary, Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI). KPI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Indonesia’s Pertamina in 2011 for a 200,000-300,000 b/d refinery and petrochemicals complex in West Ja...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 27
    Published at Fri, 05 Jul 2013
  15. Saudi Mega-Projects Take Shape As Sadara Completes Financing

    ...cember 2014. IPC in June 2012 obtained a SR1.4bn ($373mn) loan from four Saudi banks and in November 2011 a SR600mn ($160mn) loan from Saudi Industrial Development Fund (SIDF).   Meanwhile, on 13 June US plastics firm Invista announced an exclusive agreement with Petrochemical Conversion Company (PC...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 25
    Published at Fri, 21 Jun 2013
  16. Mideast Refining Capacity Edges Up, Runs Fall

    ...wever, capacity utilization actually declined last year, with throughputs of 6.444mn b/d, down just over 1% from 2011’s record high of 6.519mn b/d.   Launching the review in London on 12 June, BP chief economist Christof Rühl said that global refining capacity utilization barely improved in 2012 de...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 24
    Published at Fri, 14 Jun 2013
  17. GCC Petchems Sector ‘Thriving’ With 5.5% Growth For 2012

    ...12, outperforming global chemical production which grew by 2.6% in 2012, lower than the 3.8% growth rate in 2011.”   Saudi Arabia maintained its position as the region’s largest petrochemicals producer with 86.4mn tons of capacity – 67.6% of the regional total, the GPCA says (see gr...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 23
    Published at Fri, 07 Jun 2013
  18. Libya Eyes $80bn Downstream Drive

    ...chnologies.”   Libya’s only current foreign downstream joint venture, the 50% stake of Dubai’s Al-Ghurair group in Ras Lanuf, has not been a happy one. Under the terms of the 2009 investment, Al-Ghurair was to invest $2bn in modernizing and expanding the plant. But a combination of factors, most notably the 2011 ci...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 22
    Published at Fri, 31 May 2013
  19. Qatar Awards Condensate Splitter Project To Chiyoda/CTCI

    ...chnip, under a contract awarded by Qatargas in August 2011. Earlier, Technip carried out the FEED for LR1. Looking ahead, QP is expected to add an aromatics plant to the condensate splitters complex. This will provide benzene, toluene, and xylene feedstock for the domestic petrochemicals sector.  ...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 20
    Published at Fri, 17 May 2013
  20. Gulf Petrochemicals Firms Expanding Capacity Despite US Shale Threat

    ...hylene capacity rising by 3.7% a year in the medium term, to 183.4mn tons/year in 2017 from 147.6mn t/y in 2011 (MEES, 2 November 2012).   Despite the shifting market economics, Gulf petrochemicals companies are pressing ahead with expansions. Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) Se...

    Volume: 56
    Issue: 19
    Published at Fri, 10 May 2013