Guyana makes clarification in tender for construction of 30,000-bpd refinery; Monterrey-based Alpek confirms resumption of construction of PTA-PET site in Texas; Mexico City-based Orbia, Solvay to invest $850 million in U.S. to supply PVDF to EV producers

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Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana - Image courtesy Guyana government

Guyana makes clarification in tender for construction of 30,000-bpd refinery

The government of Guyana said on Nov. 3, 2022 in a clarification notice that it has not given any permission or commitment to any company so far and that a tender to get bids for the construction of a 30,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) refinery will continue as planned.

The Guyana government said that it wanted to make citizens aware that it has not had discussions with any company, much less selected one, and that it continues to receive proposals.

According to Guyana Chronicle, the government reiterated that since Oct. 15, 2022 it is receiving proposals for the finance, design and construction of a refinery to be built in the vicinity of Crab Island in Berbice, Guyana.

It has asked bidders to fill a standard request for proposal (RFP) that “will be used to determine a capable partner that will be selected to work with the Government to complete the project based on (i) the timeframes stipulated, (ii) evidence of financial and technical ability (…)”

“Responses to this RFP must be submitted to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board by Dec. 13, 2022,” it said.

Guyana´s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said on Oct. 26 that the Government of Guyana has invited Expressions of Interest for the establishment of an oil refinery in an area it calls its Region Six.

Other plans for Region Six include a national training institution to train workers for the oil and gas jobs that will be available, as well as hospitality jobs.

According to information published on Sep. 27 by the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund, Guyana is seeing a surge in petroleum production.

The country´s GDP is expected to double in 2022 from last year, and grow by about 30% on average per year during 2023-26.

“Oil production has the potential to transform profoundly Guyana’s economy (overall real GDP growth rate is projected to be 57.8% in 2022),” the IMF report said.

Guyana’s recoverable oil reserves are expected to reach over 11 billion barrels, one of the highest per capita worldwide.  “This could help Guyana build up substantial fiscal and external buffers to absorb shocks while addressing infrastructure gaps and human development needs,” it added.

As of 2021, Guyana had a population of just under 800,000 people. Guyana is located in the northeast corner of South America´s mainland.

Mexico´s Alpek confirms resumption of construction of PTA-PET site in Texas

Monterrey-based Alpek said on Oct. 20 that along with its two partners in Corpus Christi Polymers it resumed in the third quarter 2022 the construction of an integrated complex with purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plants in the South Texas Gulf Coast.

“Each partner will receive one third of the facility's total production, enhancing Alpek's ability to serve increasing customer demand,” the company said. The plant will begin operations in 2025.

Thailand-based Indorama, another partner in the venture, had announced back in July plans to restart construction in the third quarter of 2022.

CCP was formed in 2018 when the three partners bought a partially constructed facility of M&G (Mossi & Ghisolfi) resins in South Texas. M&G filed for bankrupty in its home country of Italy in 2017.

Mexico´s Orbia, Solvay to invest $850 million in U.S. to supply PVDF to EV producers

Mexico City-based Orbia, formerly Mexichem, and Brussels-based Solvay announced on Nov. 3, 2022 “a joint venture framework agreement to create a partnership for the production of suspension-grade polyvinylidene fluoride.”

It will represent the largest capacity in North America, the company added.

The aim is to meet demand “for lithium-ion batteries and PVDF, a thermoplastic fluoropolymer used as a lithium-ion binder and separator coating.”

“The Solvay-Orbia joint venture would fill a significant supply gap and will build upon favorable regulatory conditions promoting regional production and material security,” the statement added.

The project has support from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $178-million grant to build a facility in Augusta, Georgia.

Brussels-based Solvay brings process technology to make PVDFs and Orbia’s fluorinated and polymer businesses will supply hydrofluoric acid, vinyl chloride monomer and chlorine, it added.

“Orbia’s unique position integrated into both the fluorine and vinyl chains helps us to bring a cost-competitive battery supply chain to the U.S.,” said Sameer Bharadwaj, CEO of Orbia.

Solvay and Orbia plan to have two production sites, one for raw materials and the other for finished products. Both are scheduled to be operational by 2026.

Demand for EVs is also increasing the demand for other advanced plastics like silicones

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