4th March: Downstream news roundup

Europe

It has been reported by Cefic in a recent report that chemicals output in Europe was stagnant in 2013. The 0% growth level means that for 2013, the sector remained 6.4% below the peak level reached in 2007.

Iraq

Dubai based company Qaiwan Group has issued a call for bids for the expansion of the Bazian refinery. The bids will be for the engineering, procurement, and construction of Phase 3 of the expansion project at the 34 000 bpd facility.

Japan

Due to difficult market conditions Asahi Kasei has announced the closure of several domestic petrochemical plants. The company has also agreed to share a naphtha cracker with Mitsubishi Chemical. Closures will begin in August of this year when the Kawasaki acrylonitrile plant is taken offline. The final closure, currently scheduled, is of the Mizushima styrene plant in March of 2016.

On March 1^st, a fire was reported at the TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK, Kawasaki refinery in Kanagawa. The fire broke out in the upper part of the reactor tower in the plant’s residue hydroconversion unit. The fire was extinguished during the morning of 2^nd March. Six refinery workers were injured.

Ukraine

It has been reported by a Russian newspaper that Rosneft could buy the Odessa refinery in the Ukraine. The Russian state bank VTB has reportedly secured the sale as due to outstanding debts of the plant’s former owners. Rosneft already has controlling shares in the second largest refinery in the country, Lisichansk.

USA

In early May, Alon USA Energy Inc. has said that it is to shut the crude unit at the Big Spring refinery in Texas for planned repairs. The work is expected to take approximately one month and the FCC unit will be a particular focus. 

Edited from various sources by Claira Lloyd.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/04032014/4th_march_2014_downstream_news227/