Petchem

Braskem SA reported record-high ethane imports during the third quarter to its polyethylene complex in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, and the figure is set to continue growing. Ethane imports to the Braskem Idesa facility — among the largest petrochemicals plants in Latin America — reached a record 22,400 b/d in September, Braskem management said earlier this month…

A petrochemical plant recently announced, slated to be in service by 2026, could produce up to 200 metric tons/year of low-carbon blue ammonia and methanol using natural gas from the Montney Shale, officials said. Calgary-based Northern Petrochemical Corp. (NPC), a private venture, is proposing to build the C$2.5 billion ($2 billion) project in the planned…

ExxonMobil on Wednesday sanctioned a $240 million-plus investment to improve its Baton Rouge, LA, refinery operations, which include installing technology to reduce emissions. Project construction is expected to begin later this year at the refinery, which has crude capacity of about 517,000 b/d.  The new suite of projects are geared toward improving processing capability, flexibility…

Braskem Idesa said Thursday it had partially restored operations at the Etileno XXI polyethylene complex in Mexico’s Veracruz state. In December, Mexico natural gas system operator Cenagas canceled the company’s access to pipeline natural gas supply, forcing Braskem Idesa to shut down Etileno XXI, the largest petrochemicals operation in Latin America.  The Etileno plant uses…

Mexico will need to build out infrastructure to import ethane in order to keep its petrochemicals industry afloat amid insufficient domestic natural gas production, according to local experts. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s recent call to renegotiate or even cancel an ethane supply agreement between state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the Etileno XXI…

Mexico will need to build out new infrastructure to import ethane in order to keep its petrochemicals industry afloat amid insufficient domestic natural gas production, according to local experts. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s recent call to renegotiate or even cancel an ethane supply agreement between state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and the Etileno…

The U.S. onshore rig count currently is “trendless,” but there’s hope for some direction in first quarter reports by three of the top domestic oilfield services providers, Schlumberger Ltd., Baker Hughes Inc. and Halliburton Co., according to Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. Inc. (TPH).

U.S. Ethane presents a “wall of worry” to gas producers and processors (which fear margin collapse), pipelines (which fret over volumes) and consumers (which fear scarcity and high prices), an industry analyst said in Houston Monday. There is always something to worry about, but there’s always something on which to disagree, too.