Petcoke production mixed

Markets in Asia have increased production, with India recording a 5% climb in production to May 2017, compared to the corresponding period of last year.

Petcoke production in China climbed 8% on a yearly basis. Liaoning and Guangdong were the regions that drove regional output expansion, up 63% and 19% year-on-year, respectively. Petcoke production in Shangdong, China’s largest producing regional market, has risen to 6.2 million t in May, up 7% on a monthly basis.

Filipe Gouveia, Analyst at CW Group, said: “In May, petcoke production in India didn’t shown signs of slowing down despite the National Green Tribunal’s discussions on a petcoke ban. Consumers of the byproduct in the country have increased stocks of the material in preparation for the monsoon season.”

However, political instability and lower cement production in Brazil has propelled a reduction in demand and production. Output of petroleum coke has fallen 10% on a yearly basis in May. A year-on-year decrease of petcoke production was recorded in all regions, with the exception of São Paulo, where it rose 2% on a yearly basis to 0.5 million t in May.

CW Research also notes that Spanish producers benefited from a domestic surge in cement production in 2017. Production of petcoke in Spain has been expanding year-on-year for the third month in a row. In May, petcoke output expanded 38% on a yearly basis. From January until May, Spanish petcoke production has surpassed 1.5 million t.

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