JGC Corp. (TYO:1963) and Fluor Corp. reached completion on their U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project one year behind what was originally scheduled. And although the two companies escaped any...
ethylene
JGC Experiences Learning Curve in USGC Project – Part 1
A number of Japanese plant engineering companies have recently taken on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for U.S. shale-derived energy and chemical projects, but are struggling to carry out...
Asian Polyethylene Prices Fall, Potentially Signaling Arrival of US Shale
With the U.S. seeing a wave of new shale gas-derived petrochemical projects as of late, the effects of this may now be starting to influence the Asian market. Asian prices...
China’s Changxing Island to Become Major Petrochemical Hot Spot
A number of initiatives have begun to materialize for one of China’s seven major petrochemical hubs, Changxing Island, Dalian. One of these is a plan to launch a 2 million...
Interview: Toyo Engineering CEO Kiyoshi Nakao Talks Pursuit of Fiscal Targets
Toyo Engineering Corp. (TYO:6330) has been moving steadily in its operations over this past fiscal term, with results gradually coming more and more up to speed with the company’s expectations....
Japanese Demand for Petrochemical Products Rises for First Time in Three Years
According to ethylene conversion figures for 2017, Japanese domestic demand for petrochemical products showed a year-on-year increase of 5 percent to 5.06 million tons. This marks the first increase in...
Waseda Research Team Synthesizes Ethylene at Low Temperature
A research team led by Waseda University Professor Yasushi Sekine and Assistant Professor Shuhei Ogo recently announced that it has figured out the mechanism through which the oxidative coupling of...
Ethylene Production in China Hits Record High for Fifth Straight Year
China’s ethylene production for 2017 has increased 2.4 percent year-on-year to 18.22 million tons, according to preliminary data. While the figure represents a record high for the fifth consecutive year,...
Western Chemical Companies in Japan – Part 12: Occidental Chemical
The Chemical Daily recently conducted a round of interviews with the heads of Japanese subsidiaries of Western chemical companies. For this installment, we talked with Toru Ogawa, president of Occidental...
Ethylene Facility Utilization Rate for 2017 Marks Highest Point Since GFC
Japan’s utilization rate for ethylene facilities has come to 96.8 percent for 2017, marking the highest rate since the global financial crisis of 2008. Stable demand for materials such as...
Industry Outlook 2018: Petrochemical
Japan’s petrochemical market is in the midst of booming conditions like never before. Ethylene facilities over these past two years have been operating at a utilization rate in excess of...
Chemical Industry’s Strong Results, Future Issues – Part 4: IHS Markit
The global petrochemical market faces a critical juncture heading into 2018 as U.S. shale operations go into full effect. But what play should Japan be making here? The Chemical Daily...
Singapore’s Chemical Industry Continues to Accelerate – Part 1
The petrochemical segment has taken on a central role in Singapore’s chemical industry. According to Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the output of petrochemical products in 2016 amounted...
Fears Mount in Japan Over Decaying Ethylene Facilities Being Unable to Cover Domestic Demand
Japan is approaching a period of shortages in domestic ethylene facilities. Such a view has been emerging among a number of experts, as facilities in the country continue to age....
SP Chemicals Clarifies Plans for China’s First Ethane Cracker
SP Chemicals Pte. Ltd. recently gave new information regarding its plans to move forward with the construction of China’s first ethane cracker, which will be established in Taixing, Jiangsu Province....
ExxonMobil to Build Large Petrochemical Complex in Guangdong, China
Exxon Mobil Corp. has reached a basic agreement with local government authorities in China’s Guangdong Province to build a large-scale integrated oil refinery and petrochemical complex. The site will be...
Ethylene Prices Remain High in Northeast Asia
Ethylene prices are likely to stay in the high range. The price per ton in Northeast Asian markets currently sits around $1,250 to $1,300, or about 35 percent higher than...
Sinopec–SK Wuhan Petrochemical JV to Boost Ethylene Capacity by 40%
China–Korea Petrochemical is gearing up to bolster its ethylene production capacity by close to 40 percent. A joint venture between China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. – commonly known as Sinopec...
Ethylene Plant Utilization Rates Surpass 95% in September
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s (METI) Material Industries Division announced on Oct. 16 that ethylene production for September was 534,400 tons, a year-on-year increase of 13.7 percent. Ethylene...
JPCA Report: August Brings Year-on-Year Rise in Polypropylene Shipments
The Japan Petrochemical Industry Association (JPCA) on September 21 reported that August shipments of polypropylene (PP) and polystyrene (PS) resins were higher year-on-year, while polyethylene (PE) shipments were down. Ethylene...
