Butadiene and c4s

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Hurricane Beryl continued to make its way west toward Mexico and the US Gulf on Tuesday afternoon, with landfall possible some time on Sunday. Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Beryl was about 125 miles (205 km) east southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic, and moving west northwest at 22 miles/hour. Source: National Hurricane Center (NHC) The storm is going back and forth between a Category 4 and Category 5 hurricane as maximum sustained winds are at 155 miles/hour but had been at 165 mile/hour earlier in the day. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Winds Scale, a storm reaches Category 5 when maximum sustained winds reach 157 miles/hour. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Category Wind speed 1 74-95 miles/hour 2 96-110 miles/hour 3 111-129 miles/hour 4 130-156 miles/hour 5 157+ miles/hour The most recent forecast indicates Beryl could miss southern Veracruz state in Mexico, where Braskem Idesa has its integrated polyethylene (PE) Ethylene XXI complex and where a lot of Mexico’s petchem capacity is located. Altamira is still in the projected path. The regions have been experiencing a drought and rainfall from Beryl could provide the area with much-needed rain but could also impact operations at the multitude of chemical facilities in the area. Another scenario would be if the storm swings to the north, which could threaten oil and gas production in the US Gulf as well as Gulf Coast petchem operations. A producer with capacity in the Corpus Christi area said it was still too early to decide on operations. ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON The early activity in the Atlantic Ocean is in line with forecasts calling for a busier than usual hurricane season. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of hurricanes in the agency’s history. NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center said that the hurricane season – which started on 1 June and runs through 30 November – has an 85% chance to be above normal, a 10% chance of being near normal and only a 5% chance of being below normal. Damage from hurricanes can lead to increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes and tropical storms can also disrupt the North American petrochemical industry because many of the nation's plants and refineries are along the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and Louisiana. In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total US crude oil production and about 2% of total US dry natural gas production, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt oil and natural gas supplies because companies often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a precaution. Additional reporting by Mark Milam, Al Greenwood and Melissa Wheeler

02-Jul-2024

RIO DE JANEIRO (ICIS)–Base oils supply is to remain tight in the third quarter but could lengthen by year end as the US manufacturing recession and high interest rates take their toll, an expert at ICIS said on Tuesday. Amanda Hay, senior analyst for base oils in the Americas at ICIS, said that high interest rates in the US and elsewhere are causing that “no-one is building inventories” due to the high costs associated to it. Hay went on to say that only a few months ago most economists and analysts – including those at ICIS – were forecasting interest rates cuts by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) in 2024. However, that has now shifted to 2025 at the earliest, as the world’s major central bank seeks to make sure inflation falls towards its 2% target. The US’ annual rate of inflation stood at 3.3% in May. Hay was speaking to delegates at the 14th International Summit with the South American Market 2024 organized by specialized publication Lubes em Focus, which focuses on base oils. ICIS is a partner in the event. “As the US manufacturing recession continues, exports from that country continue to be widely available. Firm crude prices will also be a factor to keep in mind,” said Hay. “Meanwhile, major interest rates changes are not expected in 2024 anymore – as the year went by, rate cuts have become less and less likely. That, in turn, causes that no-one is really interested in building inventories given the high borrowing costs.” Base oils, also called lubricants, are used to produce finished lubes and greases for automobiles and other machinery. The 14th International Summit with the South American Market 2024 runs in Rio de Janeiro on 2-3 July.

02-Jul-2024

RIO DE JANEIRO (ICIS)–In just a few years, global automotive majors have switched their focus from a quick, all-electric production to a more hybrid model, an executive at US crude oil major Chevron said on Tuesday. Chris Castanien, global industry liaison at Chevron and lubricant additive expert, said that most automotive majors who had set up target to go all-electric or nearly all-electric by 2030 have dropped those plans as intake among consumers remains slow. This has happened even after authorities in North America or Europe have poured “tremendous amount of money in trying to force everyone” into the energy transition. Castanien was speaking to delegates at the 14th International Summit with the South American Market 2024 organized by specialized publication Lubes em Focus, which focuses on base oils. ICIS is a partner in the event. BILLIONS – BUT THE JUMP IS NOT HAPPENINGAnyone in the lubricants industry would be pleased to see the initially quick transition to electric mobility some authorities had planned is not happening – they are an interested party which would lose out much if ICE engines – combustion engines – ran on fuels would go out of the market. Therefore, Castanien was somehow pleased to list the many plans in the EU and the US which had planned for a quick electric vehicles (EVs) implementation, including the US’ $1 trillion New Green Deal in 2021 or the consequent $67 billion investments contemplated in the CHIPS Act or the $369 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). “The US’ EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] had forced a ruling that by 2032 around two thirds of cars should be EVs; the EU issued a ban on ICE engines by 2035 – well, I think those targets will not happen,” said Catanien. “Moreover, now we are seeing a lot of protectionist tariffs against Chinese EVs: we want people to make and use EVs, but we don’t want the Chinese to make them.” The Chevron executive went on to say that the US is still a “long way” to meet its own targets on charging points, for instance, which added to the considerably higher cost of EVs is putting off consumers. And this consumers’ reluctance, he went on to say, is even happening when many jurisdictions are implementing fiscal incentives and rebates for EVs. “In the US, you even get the case of California, where HOVs [high occupancy vehicle lanes] are now allowing EVs even if it’s only the driver inside the car…” he said. Thus, the initial change planned by automotive majors – even with thousands of redundancies of ICE engines engineers – is giving way to a slower implementation of the EV push and mentioned the case of Germany’s major Mercedes. “Only a few years ago, Mercedes said they would be making all vehicles electric by 2030 – they don’t say that anymore. Their updated target is aiming to make 50% of its fleet electrical by that year,” said Castanien. “[US major] Ford has said it is losing $64,000 every time they sell an EV. Tesla was planning a gigafactory in Mexico: they have dropped those plans. The shift towards more hybrid vehicles and not purely EVs is happening – this is a big change.” The automotive industry is a major global consumer of petrochemicals, which make up more than one-third of the raw material costs of an average vehicle. The automotive sector drives demand for chemicals such as polypropylene (PP), along with nylon, polystyrene (PS), styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), polyurethane (PU), methyl methacrylate (MMA) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Base oils, also called lubricants, are used to produce finished lubes and greases for automobiles and other machinery. The 14th International Summit with the South American Market 2024 runs in Rio de Janeiro on 2-3 July.

02-Jul-2024

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Hurricane Beryl, already a major Category 4 storm, is making its way toward Mexico, but it remains too early to tell where it will ultimately make landfall. Beryl is now the earliest Category 4 storm on record in the Atlantic. The previous earliest was Hurricane Dennis on 8 July 2005. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said as of 1900 GMT Beryl was about 60 miles (100km) west northwest of Carriacou Island with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles/h and moving west-northwest at 20 miles/h. Source: National Hurricane Center (NHC) Late-cycle track guidance from the Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project (TCGP) shows the different tracks based on various models in the image below. Source: Tropical Cyclone Guidance Project (TCGP) If the storm continues to move to the west, it could threaten Mexican facilities in Veracruz state, which is in the south of the Bay of Campeche. Also in the region are the major port city of Coatzacoalcos and Braskem Idesa’s integrated polyethylene (PE) Ethylene XXI complex. Beryl could also make landfall near Altamira, which has been experiencing a drought and could provide the area with much-needed rain but could also impact operations at the multitude of chemical facilities in the area. Another scenario would be if the storm swings to the north, which could threaten oil and gas production in the US Gulf as well as Gulf Coast petchem operations. Beryl is expected to pass near Jamaica on Wednesday but the storm is unlikely to affect the chlor-alkali chain. Jamaica is home to a number of large alumina refineries that consume significant volumes of US caustic soda, used to refine alumina from bauxite, or aluminium ore. ACTIVE HURRICANE SEASON The early activity in the Atlantic Ocean is in line with forecasts calling for a busier-than-usual hurricane season. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of hurricanes in the agency’s history. NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center said that the hurricane season – which started on 1 June and runs through 30 November – has an 85% chance to be above normal, a 10% chance of being near normal and only a 5% chance of being below normal. The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in 2010. A storm is named once it has sustained winds of 39 miles/h. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Category Wind speed 1 74-95 miles/h 2 96-110 miles/h 3 111-129 miles/h 4 130-156 miles/h 5 157+ miles/h Damage from hurricanes can lead to increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes and tropical storms can also disrupt the North American petrochemical industry because many of the nation's plants and refineries are along the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and Louisiana. In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total US crude oil production and about 2% of total US dry natural gas production, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt oil and natural gas supplies because companies often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a precaution. Additional reporting by Al Greenwood, Kelly Coutu, Bill Bowen

01-Jul-2024

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 21 June. Indian phosphates buyers awaiting subsidies clarity from new government The bullish sentiment in the phosphates world continues, as supply in the Americas remains particularly tight, and demand firming. Europe naphtha, gasoline prices push higher despite weak fundamentals Europe naphtha market spot quotations appear to be torn between firming upstream Brent crude values and waning demand-side fundamentals, with weakness in gasoline particularly denting sentiment. New industrial deal needed to enable energy transition – Europe trade groups The EU needs a powerful industrial strategy to deliver the massive expansion in renewable energy required to power energy-intensive sectors which will provide locally made raw materials, according to a coalition of regional trade groups. Europe BDO heading into Q3 with hopes of stability rather than improvement Although the better-than-expected demand during the first half of 2024 would typically give rise to positivity for the European butanediol (BDO) market, players are tempering their predictions to hopes of stability. Downstream restructuring darkens Europe PX outlook despite shipping disruption uplift Paraxylene (PX) demand in Europe is likely to be relatively firm over the summer as seasonal buying appetite couples with stronger offtakes from downstream markets impacted by delayed imports and higher freight costs.

22-Jun-2024

HOUSTON (ICIS)–A tropical disturbance moving towards the Georgia-Florida state lines is unlikely to disrupt any chemical plant operations in the region, and activity at the Port of Savannah was normal as of mid-afternoon on Friday. Source: National Hurricane Center (NHC) According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), the disturbance, identified as AL92, is about 80 miles (129 km) east-southeast of Brunswick, Georgia, lacks the necessary organization to form a hurricane. Maximum sustained winds are at 35 miles/hour. The NHC said that even if the showers and thunderstorms become better organized, AL92 would be a “short-lived” tropical depression before making landfall, where it will immediately begin losing intensity. Operations at the Port of Savannah (Georgia) were normal as of mid-afternoon on Friday. The NHC is also watching an area of low pressure above the Bay of Campeche, where environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development as it moves slowly to the west-northwest, and a tropical depression could form over the southwestern US Gulf this weekend. There is likely to be increased focus on US Gulf petchem production this summer as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of hurricanes in the agency’s history. NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center said that the hurricane season – which started on 1 June and runs through 30 November – has an 85% chance to be above normal, a 10% chance of being near normal and only a 5% chance of being below normal. The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in 2010. Damage from hurricanes can lead to increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes and tropical storms can also disrupt the North American petrochemical industry because many of the nation's plants and refineries are along the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and Louisiana. In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total US crude oil production and about 2% of total US dry natural gas production, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt oil and natural gas supplies because companies often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a precaution.

21-Jun-2024

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, continues to push toward the Mexico coast and a combination of storm surge and high tides are already flooding some Texas coastal communities. But so far, ICIS has not heard of any instances of plants located along the US Gulf Coast ceasing operations. Alberto was about 295 miles (475 km) south southeast of Brownsville as of 18:00 GMT with maximum sustained winds of 40 miles/hour, as shown in the following image. Source: National Hurricane Center A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the Texas coast from San Luis Pass southward to the mouth of the Rio Grande River. Tropical storm warnings mean that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. The highest rainfall totals on Wednesday were just more than an inch south of Houston, with a total of 1.36 inches in La Porte, Texas, and 1.23 inches in Galveston. Storm chasers shared videos of inundated coastal communities on social media, including Surfside Beach, that were created by the storm surge ahead of Alberto and coinciding with high tides. Tides will be at the lowest this evening and at the highest early on Thursday morning, as shown in the following chart. Source: Tideschart.com Alberto is moving toward the west at 9 miles/hour. A westward motion with an increase in forward speed is expected through Thursday. The center of Alberto is forecast to reach the coast of northeastern Mexico early Thursday morning, as shown in the following map. Source: National Hurricane Center Some slight strengthening is forecast today or tonight before the center of Alberto reaches land. Rapid weakening is expected once the center moves inland, and Alberto is likely to dissipate over Mexico Thursday or Thursday night. Flash flood warnings are in effect for south and central Texas, as shown in the following map. Source: National Hurricane Center So far it does not appear that offshore oil and gas operations are being impacted. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) provides daily updates when storms lead to the evacuation of offshore production platforms. There was no update on Wednesday from BSEE. Production platforms are the offshore structures from which oil and natural gas are produced. Unlike drilling rigs, which can be moved, production facilities remain in the same location throughout a project’s duration. Another disturbance in the southwest Atlantic has a 20% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours, and only a 20% chance of formation in the next seven days. There is likely to be increased focus on US Gulf petchem production this summer as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of hurricanes in the agency’s history. NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center said that the hurricane season – which started on 1 June and runs through 30 November – has an 85% chance to be above normal, a 10% chance of being near normal and only a 5% chance of being below normal. The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in 2010. A storm is named once it has sustained winds of 39 miles/hour. Damage from hurricanes can lead to increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes and tropical storms can also disrupt the North American petrochemical industry because many of the nation's plants and refineries are along the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and Louisiana. In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total US crude oil production and about 2% of total US dry natural gas production, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt oil and natural gas supplies because companies often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a precaution. Thumbnail image shows a map with Tropical Storm Alberto approaching the Mexico coast. Source: NHC

19-Jun-2024

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Potential Tropical Cyclone One could drop from six-12 inches of rain over South Texas as it approaches the US Gulf Coast this week, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Tuesday. As of 18:00 GMT the storm remains large but disorganized over the southwestern US Gulf, with heavy rainfall expected along the Gulf Coast over the next day or two, the NHC said and as shown in the following image. Source: National Hurricane Center The storm is about 405 miles (655 km) southeast of Brownsville, Texas, with estimated wind speeds of 40 miles/hour (65 km/hour), as shown in the following image. Source: National Hurricane Center At this time, most US Gulf Coast chem plant operations are expected to run as normal barring any rapid intensification. So far it does not appear that offshore oil and gas operations are being impacted. The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) provides daily updates when storms lead to the evacuation of offshore production platforms. There was no update on Tuesday from BSEE. Production platforms are the offshore structures from which oil and natural gas are produced. Unlike drilling rigs, which can be moved, production facilities remain in the same location throughout a project’s duration. Another disturbance in the southwest Atlantic has a 10% chance of becoming a cyclone in the next 48 hours, as shown in the following image. Source: National Hurricane Center Environmental conditions are marginally conducive for some gradual development of this system during the next few days while it moves westward or west northwestward. The system is forecast to approach the coast of the southeastern United States on Friday. There is likely to be increased focus on US Gulf petchem production this summer as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of hurricanes in the agency’s history. NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center said that the hurricane season – which started on 1 June and runs through 30 November – has an 85% chance to be above-normal, a 10% chance of being near-normal and only a 5% chance of being below-normal. The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in 2010. A storm is named once it has sustained winds of 39 miles/hour (63km/h). Damage from hurricanes can lead to increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes and tropical storms can also disrupt the North American petrochemical industry because many of the nation's plants and refineries are along the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and Louisiana. In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total US crude oil production and about 2% of total US dry natural gas production, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt oil and natural gas supplies because companies often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a precaution.

18-Jun-2024

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Meteorologists are tracking two tropical disturbances, one in the US Gulf and the other in the Atlantic Ocean, but neither are expected to have any major influence on chemical plant operations. In the US Gulf, there is a broad area of low pressure in the Bay of Campeche and conditions are conducive for gradual development with a tropical depression or tropical storm likely to form by midweek, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Regardless of development, the NHC said several days of heavy rainfall are expected across portions of southern Mexico and Central America. Locally heavy rainfall is also expected to spread over northwestern portions of the US Gulf by the middle of the week. An area of cloudiness and thunderstorms located several hundred miles east of the Bahamas is also showing conditions that could be conducive for some development over the next few days as it moves west-northwest, the NHC said. The system is likely to approach the southeast US coast by Thursday or Friday. There is likely to be increased focus on US Gulf petchem production this summer as the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting the greatest number of hurricanes in the agency’s history. NOAA forecasters with the Climate Prediction Center said that the hurricane season – which started on 1 June and runs through 30 November – has an 85% chance to be above-normal, a 10% chance of being near-normal and only a 5% chance of being below-normal. The prediction of 17-25 named storms is the highest ever, topping the 14-23 predicted in 2010. A storm is named once it has sustained winds of 39 miles/h (63km/h). Damage from hurricanes can lead to increased demand for chemicals, but hurricanes and tropical storms can also disrupt the North American petrochemical industry because many of the nation's plants and refineries are along the US Gulf Coast in the states of Texas and Louisiana. In 2022, oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico accounted for about 15% of total US crude oil production and about 2% of total US dry natural gas production, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Even the threat of a major storm can disrupt oil and natural gas supplies because companies often evacuate US Gulf platforms as a precaution.

17-Jun-2024

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 14 June. Steady demand keeps Europe butadiene prices firm, improved output but ongoing limitations European butadiene (BD) output may have improved with the resolution of a couple of unplanned outages in May but an ongoing turnaround in the Netherlands and some unplanned downtime in France, amid talk of other issues, is keeping spot availability constrained and spot pricing firm. ESA ’24: No easy fix for European spot sulphuric acid shortfall European sulphuric acid buyers are somewhat resigned as an ongoing shortage of spot acid continues – with little evidence in sight for any improvement in availability. Europe naphtha, Eurobob crack spreads suffer demand slump Northwest European open-specification naphtha (OSN) spot values recovered from losses sustained last week as upstream Brent crude prices rose. IPEX: Global spot index edges down on lower values across all regions The global spot ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) fell by 0.7% in the week ending 7 June on losses across all regions, not least northwest Europe. Europe chems stocks, markets slump in wake of election upheaval Stocks markets in Europe slumped on Monday after EU parliamentary results pointed to a rise in prominence for Eurosceptic parties, with the announcement of a snap election in France and the resignation of the Belgian Prime Minister.

17-Jun-2024