LyondellBasell

LyondellBasell gets to buy from Sasol 50% of cracker, two PE plants at two-thirds of value

Oct 13, 2020

LyondellBasell left aside the financial caution it adhered to since the start of the pandemic to seize an opportunity provided by deteriorated market conditions to buy for two-thirds of the estimated real value a 50% stake in an ethane cracker and two...

Rising demand for hydrogen attracts interest of U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemical companies

Oct 13, 2020

U.S. petrochemical companies that already produce hydrogen as a by-product in processes like ethane cracking or while making chlorine are exploring new revenue possibilities.

New polypropylene plant in Texas to relieve momentary shortage but later add to glut

Sep 15, 2020

Braskem announced on Sep. 10 the start of its new one-billion-pounds-per-year Texas polypropylene (PP) line that while it will relieve momentary tightness in the North American market, may aggravate longer-term conditions of oversupply and negative demand...

U.S. petrochemical plants see higher polyethylene demand and prices four months into pandemic

Aug 18, 2020

Polyethylene prices saw in July gains for two consecutive months with additional price increases sought for August. Meantime, petrochemical consumption demand recovery related to automotive and durables, as well as for fuel-related products like methanol,...

Long delayed polyethylene units in U.S. Gulf Coast set to start up but timing won't help

Jul 7, 2020

South Africa-based Sasol will put online by September a 420,000-tonne long-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit in Lake Charles, Louisiana while Taiwan-based Formosa should be on the final stages of completion of a 400,000-tonne LDPE plant it had intended to...

Shell controls Covid-19 after restarting Pennsylvania construction but other risks loom

Jun 9, 2020

Shell interrupted on March 18 the construction of this complex where it has a 100% interest and begun a restart in stages on May 4. Once built, it will crack ethane from Northeast shale basins into ethylene to polymerize into 1.6 million tonnes of...

American plants running at reduced rates in second quarter

May 26, 2020

The running rates reduction comes amid a sharp decline in resin prices like polyethylene (PE). Experts believe the ongoing weakness may linger for an undetermined period.

U.S. ethane-based petrochemical plants challenged by low crude prices

May 12, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic turned the table for U.S. petrochemical companies that saw cost advantages erode for their ethane crackers in relation to those that use naphtha as feedstock.

Covid-19 seen slowing efforts to reduce single-use plastics and recycling

May 12, 2020

After decade-long efforts to curb down on single-use plastics resulted this year in a wave of plastic bag bans, it took only weeks for Covid-19 to change that course. Now oil prices could slow recycling efforts at a time when environment concerns are set to...

Petrochemical companies work to overcome imbalances caused by Covid-19

Apr 21, 2020

Before Covid-19 petrochemical plants could depend on co-production of multiple chemical intermediates with predictable demand for each but producers now struggle to find new balances, executives participating on a Petrochemical Update webinar on April 16,...

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