Chemical News
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Timeline: Yemen rebels step up Saudi Arabia attacks Apr 12,2018
Presumed Houthi militants in Yemen have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the capital, Riyadh; the southwestern city of Jizan, home to a major refinery project; and a Saudi crude oil tanker, among other targets. Analysts say the increase in the frequency and the number of targets reflects an intensification of the conflict in Yemen....>>>
Crude oil futures continues uptrend amid rising Middle East tensions Apr 12,2018
Crude oil futures were higher during mid-morning trade in Asia Thursday, amid rising tensions in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile over Riyadh and US President Donald Trump warned of an attack on Syria. At 11:20 am Singapore time (0320 GMT), June ICE Brent crude futures were up 26 cents (0.36%) from Wednesday's settle at $...>>>
100 Spot Commodities Price Chart - 11/04/2018 Apr 12,2018
It was assessed by SunSirs that in the tracked 100 spot commodities,37 commodities increased in prices, 21 fell and 42 remained unchanged on 11/04/2018.The largest rises were Acetone (2.91%),Ethylene glycol (2.30%),Maleic anhydride (1.99%),while the la...>>>
China steel capacity replacements continue in 2018 with more electric arc furnaces Apr 13,2018
China granted approvals for the installation of new steelmaking facilities with a capacity of 149.8 million mt a year between the start of 2017 and April 2018, predicated on the closure of 169.7 million mt/year as part of its capacity replacement campaign, S&P Global Platts calculations based on Chinese local government announcements show. The n...>>>
Coal stocks held by China's six key power generators drop 2% on week to 14.1 million mt Apr 13,2018
Combined coal stocks held by China's six key coal-fired power generators in the south and east of the country totaled 14.09 million mt on April 12, down 1.8% from 14.347 million mt on April 5, according to figures released Thursday by port operator Qinhuangdao Port. The six key power generators are: Zhejiang Power, Shanghai Power, Guodian, Datan...>>>
Weekly coal production slides across all major basins: EIA Apr 13,2018
US coal production totaled an estimated 14.3 million st in the week ended April 7, down 2.9% from the prior week and up 6.3% from the year-ago week, US Energy Information Administration data showed Thursday. Production was down across all the regions with the highest drop seen in the Illinois Basin, a drop of 102,000 st from last week. This the ...>>>
UK day-ahead power prices rise over 10% on low wind Apr 13,2018
UK day-ahead power prices rose over 10% as wind output halved day on day for Friday. At 11:00 am London time, the base was at GBP55.50/MWh, up GBP5.10, or 10.12%, and its peak counterpart was at GBP59/MWh, up GBP5.50, or 10.28%. National Grid's forecast for demand during peak times is 38.4 GW on Friday, down from Thursday's 40.1 GW. Wind...>>>
UK renewables power output hits record 25.0 TWh in Q1: EnAppSys Apr 13,2018
UK renewables power output in the first quarter was a record 25.0 TWh, thanks to a strong performance by wind, data from EnAppSys showed Thursday. "The strong performance of wind helped overall renewable output to hit 25 TWh -- the highest ever level recorded in a single quarter in Britain -- which meant renewables were the second largest cont...>>>
No new nuclear units will be built in US due to high cost: Exelon official Apr 13,2018
Due to their high cost relative to other generating options, no new nuclear power units will be built in the US, an Exelon official said Thursday. "The fact is -- and I don't want my message to be misconstrued in this part -- I don't think we're building any more nuclear plants in the United States. I don't think it's ever going to happen," Will...>>>
German front-month fuel-power spreads fall further as coal, natural gas, CO2 rise Apr 13,2018
German front-month coal and gas-fired power generation margins have fallen deeper into negative territory as bearish power fundamentals for May have kept outright power price gains at bay despite sharp gains for carbon, coal and gas. Coal-fired clean dark spreads at record lows Gas-fired clean sparks below minus Eur10/MWh at 2015 low Power fun...>>>
NYMEX May gas falls 2.3 cents to $2.652/MMBtu ahead of storage data Apr 13,2018
NYMEX May natural gas futures fell back in overnight US trading as participants looked beyond an expected continuation of storage draws after the traditional end of the withdrawal season to the changeover to injections on warmer weather further out. At 6:45 am EDT (1045 GMT), the contract was 2.3 cents lower at $2.652/MMBtu. The consensus of ...>>>
Venezuela's oil woes worsen as output slides to 1.509 mil b/d in March Apr 13,2018
Venezuela's oil production slide shows no signs of abating as the country posted its lowest output in March in almost two decades, it told OPEC Thursday. Exports, refinery runs continue to plunge Output could fall as low as 1.1 mil b/d by end-2018 US sanctions could exacerbate situation The Latin American country self-reported product...>>>
Brazil's ANP approves revised local content rules, appeases shipbuilders Apr 13,2018
Brazil's National Petroleum Agency (ANP) approved lower requirements for the use of locally produced goods and services in oil field development, including a concession to shipbuilders that should help avoid lawsuits aimed at blocking the cuts, it said. Oil companies will be required to use 50% local content during the exploration and production...>>>
China imposes restrictions on coal imports at southern ports Apr 17,2018
Thermal and coking coal imports at ports in southern China, including Fangcheng and Xiamen, came under restrictions over the weekend, market sources said Monday. Mill sources said that port authorities had told them informally that several ports would no longer be able to receive any imported coal, while others may have certain restrictions imp...>>>
Dutch imports of Norwegian gas rise to eight-year high over weekend Apr 17,2018
Dutch receipts of Norwegian natural gas rose to at least an eight-year high over the weekend as lower indigenous production pushed spot prices on the TTF to a premium to neighboring German hubs. Dutch imports of Norwegian natural gas averaged 83.79 million cu m/d over April 14-15, the highest in S&P Global Platts records that go back to 2010, bo...>>>
France plans extra 300 MW solar tender for Fessenheim region Apr 17,2018
France plans to launch a solar tender specifically for the Haut-Rhin region as a first concrete measure to address the planned closure of the 1.6-GW Fessenheim nuclear power plant, the energy ministry said Friday. France's oldest nuclear power plant to close end-2018 Haut-Rhin plans close cross-border cooperation with Germany According to ju...>>>
Weekly US coal train loadings at 11-week low: STB Apr 17,2018
US coal train loadings fell to an 11-week low, due to a drop in shipments from the Northern Appalachian (NAPP) and Powder River basins, data from the Surface Transportation Board showed Monday. Data filed to the STB by the four major Class I railroads -- CSX, Union Pacific, BNSF and Norfolk Southern -- show US coal loadings averaged 94.7 trains/...>>>
Americas petrochemicals outlook: w/c Apr 16 Apr 17,2018
US OLEFINS: Spot ethylene has been on the rise, 0.50 cent/lb higher than the record lows seen April 9 after prompt-month was heard offered at 14 cents/lb MtB Nova. Sources have attributed the rise to the market finding balance after falling rapidly. Since then, April has been heard traded at 14.25 cents/lb MtB Nova for three straight days. Previous...>>>
EMEA petrochemicals outlook: w/c Apr 16 Apr 17,2018
In European ethylene, the market remains balanced with the recent increase in feedstock naphtha prices offset by good supply. The plant maintenance calendar is also lighter than previously expected, due to postponements. OLEFINS In propylene, the market is set to remain well-balanced with sentiment likely to remain unchanged in April. In buta...>>>
Asia: The week ahead in petrochemicals, w/c Apr 16 Apr 17,2018
Asian petrochemicals generally received a boost last week from strength in upstream crude, as ICE June Brent crude futures surged $4.50/b over the week to $72.50/b at 0830 GMT last Friday. Correspondingly, major feedstock naphtha also jumped, with Mean of Platts Japan naphtha assessed $30.25/mt higher at $613/mt last Friday. This week, ongoing ...>>>