Brazilian petrochemicals giant Braskem SA reported record imports of ethane from the United States to its Braskem Idesa polyethylene plant in Mexico for a second straight quarter in the fourth quarter of 2021, and it expects a new ethane import terminal at the site to start up by 2024.

ethane

CFO Pedro Freitas described a dramatically improved operating environment in Mexico versus a year earlier during a conference call to discuss fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 results. 

Braskem Idesa’s natural gas supply was briefly cut off in December 2020 amid pressure from state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) to renegotiate a take-or-pay ethane supply contract for the plant in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz. Pemex had struggled to fulfill its 66,000 b/d supply commitment as its own natural...