Chemical News
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South African April thermal coal exports down 8% on month at 6.6 mil mt Jun 04,2018
Thermal coal exports from South Africa in April were 6.6 million mt, down 8% month on month but up 6.7% year on year, according to customs data released late Thursday. India remained the largest importer of South African coal in April, on 3.23 million mt, up 13% month on month, but down 8% year on year. Pakistan regained second position on 1....>>>
Braskem still operating at reduced rates due to Brazilian trucker strike Jun 04,2018
Braskem is currently running its Brazilian petrochemical plants at half capacity as it continues to deal with the impact of a Brazilian trucker strike that wreaked havoc on the nation's logistics, the company said Friday. "Due to the logistics constraints arising from the nationwide truckers' strike, over the past few days [Braskem] has been gra...>>>
Asian styrene driving downstream ethylene margin despite PE/MEG falls Jun 04,2018
Market participants said that with prompt styrene supply already tight because of several turnarounds in East China, traders that took up short positions previously had no choice but to come out buying over the past two days, especially if they are short delivering into the domestic Huaxicun Commodity Exchange's contracts. Production of 1 mt of ...>>>
US tariffs to cost Mexican steel industry $2 billion/year: Canacero Jun 04,2018
The US 25% import tariffs on steel and 10% on aluminum products will cost Mexico's steel industry $2 billion/year, according to national steel chamber Canacero. The US surplus with Mexico in the last two years was $3.6 billion, it added. On Thursday, the US announced it would impose the tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada and the EU. "I...>>>
Canada's Methanex nominates Jun Asia Contract Price at $490/MT CFR, up $30/mt from May Jun 04,2018
Canada-based Methanex on Friday nominated its methanol Asia Contract Price for June at $490/mt CFR, up $30/mt from May. Discussions for Chinese methanol were heard at $400-$410/mt CFR China on Friday, steady from Thursday.>>>
Newest steel tariffs could undercut chemical projects: ACC Jun 04,2018
The trade group for US chemical manufacturers Thursday decried the Trump administration's decision to impose steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union, saying more-expensive building materials could undercut advantages that prompted companies to build a slew of petrochemical facilities in Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania....>>>
Turkish petcoke imports sink 54.8% on month: customs Jun 04,2018
Turkey imported 237,841 mt of petcoke in April, up 14.5% on the year but down 54.8% on the month, according to customs data Thursday. It was the largest month-on-month drop since S&P Global Platts began collecting the data in 2013. The majority of imports were from the US at 173,895 mt. This is down 63% on the month but up 2% on the year. ...>>>
US Interior sees Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lease sale as soon at July 2019: assistant secretary Balash Jun 04,2018
A lease sale in the US Arctic National Wildlife Refuge could come as early as July 2019, according to a top Interior Department official. The "scoping" process for an environmental impact statement for ANWR is now underway and will be completed in June, Joe Balash, assistant interior secretary for lands and minerals, told reporters in a briefing...>>>
US crude exports could be a victim of brewing trade war with China Jun 05,2018
S&P Global Platts calculations show WTI held a 4-cent discount to Forties on a delivered basis into China over March, and at an 81-cent premium to ADNOC's Murban. Those spread have only worked further into WTI's favor in the months since, with WTI averaging a $1.82 discount to Forties and a a 74-cent discount to Murban. China's growing need for cru...>>>
Proposed permit fee increase in Pennsylvania not expected to slow drilling in state Jun 05,2018
Industry and state leaders agreed that a plan by Pennsylvania regulators to more than double permit fees for unconventional wells would likely not put a damper on producers' plans to continue to drill and produce gas from the prolific Marcellus shale play. A proposed rulemaking, which the state Department of Environmental Protection has submitte...>>>
UK's Chrysaor consolidates Armada gas field stakes ahead of drilling Jun 05,2018
Private equity-backed Chrysaor has completed the purchase of a cluster of gas field stakes in the North Sea in preparation for a redevelopment of the Armada area. In a statement Chrysaor Monday confirmed completion of the deal announced in March to take over the stakes it didn't already hold from Spirit Energy, which is majority-owned by UK util...>>>
Several coal permit applications under review in Indiana Jun 05,2018
Coal permit activity remains brisk in Indiana this year, with several applications in the process of being approved by the state Department of Natural Resources' Division of Reclamation. Peabody Midwest Mining this week is expected to receive approval to extend operations of its Francisco underground mine in Gibson County, Colleen Baughman, stat...>>>
Union mulls strike action at Australia's New Hope thermal coal mine Jun 05,2018
Australia's Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union is campaigning for a no-vote on an Enterprise Agreement with coal miner New Hope next week, which could lead to industrial action at its West Moreton Operations, the CFMEU Queensland mining and energy vice president Shane Brunker said Monday. "New Hope's latest offer will see ...>>>
US' Colonial Pipeline line 34 fully allocated for the first time Jun 05,2018
Colonial Pipeline's line 34, which delivers jet fuel into Baltimore-Washington International Airport, was fully allocated for cycle 29 Monday, a first for the product line. "To the best of our knowledge, this line has not been allocated before," Colonial Pipeline spokesman Steve Baker said. Line 34, which exclusively ships jet fuel, spurs fro...>>>
PDVSA tells crude buyers it cannot meet full supply commitments for June: source Jun 05,2018
Venezuela's PDVSA has notified eight international customers it will not be able to meet its full crude supply commitments in June, a PDVSA official told S&P Global Platts Monday. The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said PDVSA is contractually obligated to supply 1.495 million b/d to those customers in June, but only has 694,000...>>>
PGNiG in talks to take stakes in US LNG export facilities: govt official Jun 05,2018
Poland's dominant natural gas producer and distributor PGNiG is holding preliminary talks with US companies about taking equity stakes in LNG export facilities as a way to gain access to US LNG supplies, the Polish government's energy infrastructure adviser, Piotr Naimski said Monday. "PGNiG is exploring such opportunities, we know that the comp...>>>
Continental European May LNG regasification highest in over six years Jun 05,2018
LNG regasification in Continental Europe rose to its highest monthly level in over six years in May, with strong monthly increases seen in several countries, data from S&P Global Platts Analytics showed Monday. LNG regas from Continental Europe (Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain combined) was 4.135 Bcm of natural g...>>>
EPEX Spot May power volumes highest since December 2015 Jun 05,2018
A total of 50.9 TWh of short-term power traded on the EPEX Spot power exchange in May, up 5.7 TWh or 13% on the year and the highest volume since December 2015. Volumes on day-ahead markets rose to 43.7 TWh, up 11%, with trading volumes on the German/Austrian day-ahead market -- the largest segment -- at 20 TWh, up 2% on the year. Record volumes...>>>
100 Spot Commodities Price Chart - 01/06/2018 Jun 05,2018
It was assessed by SunSirs that in the tracked 100 spot commodities,28 commodities increased in prices, 21 fell and 51 remained unchanged on 01/06/2018.The largest rises were Styrene (3.91%),Coke (3.43%),Nickel (3.15%),while the largest falls were Pape...>>>
China independents look for other crude oil grades to cover Venezuelan shortfall Jun 06,2018
A drop in crude oil supply from Venezuela is forcing China's independent refiners to look for alternative source of heavy crude, with Mexican Maya, Colombia's Castilla and Canadian Cold Lake Blend options being considered, sources said. PDVSA short on June obligations to customers Alternatives for asphalt production hard to find Independents t...>>>