Eight companies bid for Turkey's Petkim sale

Eight companies or consortiums have presented bids for a block sale of a 51% stake in Turkish petrochemical firm Petkim.

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Basell to stop production of polypropylene in Sarnia, Ontario in mid-2008

Basell will stop producing polypropylene in Sarnia, Ontario in mid-2008. With annual production averaging only 100,000 tons over the past two years, the high operating costs at the plant that began operation in 1978, are no longer competitive.

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GAIL defers proposed Rs7,000 crore petrochem project in Kochi

GAIL (India) Ltd. has deferred its proposed Rs7,000 crore petrochemicals project in Kochi. Also, the Rs3,000 crore Petronet LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant in the city will be delayed by one year.

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EU Clears Merger of Dow with Bayer Business Unit

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Wolff Walsrode of Germany by Dow Chemical Corporation of the US. The Commission concluded that the operation would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it.

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Sidel inaugurates PET bottle blow moulding machines production plant in Malaysia

In a bid to meet growing demand for PET packaging with low and medium output machines, Sidel has inaugurated a plant to manufacture polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle blow moulding machines in Malaysia.

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DSM Engineering plastics to consolidate presence in Eastern Europe

DSM Engineering Plastics has entered into a distribution agreement with Resin Express, wherein the two will join forces in the market development and sales of DSM Engineering Plastics resins in the Baltic States, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. The move is in line with DSM's corporate strategy to focus on new and emerging markets - as defined in Vision 2010, the corporate blueprint for future development of the company.

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PP innovation for beverage caps combine organoleptic properties with unique design

Borealis, a leading provider of innovative value creating plastics solutions, has designed a unique polypropylene (PP) grade, RE450MO, to produce caps for bottled water, as well as sports and energy drinks. This new solution supports the beverage industry's ambitions to create ever-more sophisticated and differentiated user-friendly closures. RE450MO retains the natural taste of the liquid inside while delivering design possibilities not previously available with existing polyethylene (PE) or PP caps.

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DuPont Creates new category of Bio-Based Materials

DuPont has developed a new category of bio-based materials called DuPont™ Renewably Sourced ™ Materials - high-performance, bio-based materials and biofuels that are made, in whole or in part, from renewable agricultural feedstocks such as corn, soybeans, sugar cane and wheat, rather than petroleum. In the future, DuPont hopes to also make these materials from cellulosic feedstocks from fast growing energy crops, such as grasses, and agricultural byproducts, such as corn stalks.

Braskem selects Basell Spheripol technology for Venezuela

Petroqumica de Venezuela and thermoplastic resins company Braskem have selected Basell's Spheripol technology for their new 450,000 tpa polypropylene plant to be built in Jose, Venezuela. The project is expected to be completed by 2009.

Jose Petro Project to include 1.3 million tons ethylene cracker

Braskem signed an agreement aiming at the formation of two joint ventures to develop Jose Petrochemical Complex with Pequiven. The first project includes the construction of an ethylene cracker from natural gas with an annual capacity of 1.3 million tons of ethylene, 1.1 million tons of polyethylene and other petrochemical products. The second project includes the construction of polypropylene plant with an annual capacity of 450,000 tons.

Taiwan's CPC restarts cracker after a month

Taiwan's state-owned CPC has completed repairs at its No.5 naphtha cracker. The company has restarted it's 80,000 tpa No.5 butadiene plant at Kaohsiung this week in line with resumption of operations of its 450,000 tpa No.5 naphtha cracker. The plant is currently operating at over 90% rates after the month long shutdown.

Construction work for two petrochemical complexes to begin in Iran

The construction work on two petrochemical complexes at Gachsaran and Dehdasht is to commence in Iran. The two petrochemical plants are to be built along the ethylene pipeline earlier laid in western Iran.

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US$1.2 bln JV between Vietnam and Singapore based company

petrochemical complex in the southern province of Phu Yen between the provincial People's Committee and Singapore's SP Chemicals Ltd Co. SP Chemicals Ltd Co is expected to contribute US$3 million for site clearance fees, land compensation and resettlement. The complex will be spread over 300 ha in Hoa Tam commune, and is estimated to have a production capacity of 1.5 mln tpa of petrochemicals.

Subject to approval from the Vietnamese Government, the plant will is expected to be in operation by 2012.

Nova Chemicals and INEOS plan expansion of styrene JV

NOVA Chemicals Corporation has signed a letter of intent with INEOS to expand the existing European joint venture to include North American assets.

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Eleme Petrochemicals commences exports to Europe, Asia, Africa

Nigeria’s newly privatised Eleme Petrochemicals Company Limited (EPCL) has commenced export of its products to Europe, Asia and across Africa. Eleme, that was acquired by the Indonesian firm - Indorama Group, specialises in the production of high density polyethylene.

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REPSOL commences pilot polyolefin plant in Spain

Repsol YPF has opened a pilot Polyolefin plant to conduct research into a range of polypropylene and polyethylene by simulating a variety of manufacturing processes. The plant is to be located at its industrial chemicals complex in Tarragona, Spain. The company plans to develop higher-performance products by implementing new technologies for next generation plastics production with advanced properties.