Import deliveries of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to the Russian market shrunk by 23% y/y in the Jan-May period, writes Market Report. The country imported a total of 98.1 thousand tonnes of HDPE in the first 5 months of the year, vs. 128.2 thousand tonnes a year earlier. At the same time, the seasonal increase in demand, coupled with the idling of the Stavrolen plant, pushed the April and May imports up to the respective levels of 23.2 and 22 thousand tonnes of HDPE. Russia’s Jan-to-May imports of HDPE for extrusion coating declined by 14% from their previous-year level, with May deliveries shrinking to 3.2 thousand tonnes from 5.3 thousand tonnes in April. The customs duty on the imports of this type of polyethylene, currently set at 9.1%, has been suspended in a relatively recent decision, so we may yet see the imports rising in the months ahead. Pipe-grade HDPE imports […]

Около 50% объема химической индустрии (в России и в мире) приходится на полимеры. Уровень потребления этих материалов в значительной мере определяет развитие индустрии в целом. По уровню потребления полимеров на душу населения Россия отстает от развитых стран в 2-3 раза. Это отставание является искусственным, предопределяется непринятием на протяжении многих лет международных стандартов потребления, «принуждающих к развитию». Необходимо единовременно на уровне нескольких субъектов РФ масштабировать опыт некоторых областей и утвердить регламенты, обязывающие применять прогрессивные полимерные материалы при строительстве дорог и для транспортировки воды в секторе ЖКХ. Одновременно ставится вопрос о скорейшем запуске производств инженерных и специальных пластиков, которые сегодня в значительном, а иногда в полном объеме импортируются. Полигоном применения новых технологий и новых регламентов может стать Приволжский федеральный округ, являющийся центром производства и переработки полимерных материалов.Перед руководителями Субъектов Федерации стоит задача определить условия благоприятствования, при которых предприятия способны в короткие сроки наладить выпуск и заместить импорт по названной номенклатуре специальных пластиков. В случае непринятия предложенных […]

Создание новой отрасли промышленности по добыче, переработке и транспорта нетрадиционной нефти и газа в США и других регионах мира может привести к снижению мировых цен на нефть и природный газ  в ближайшие годы. Через секторальные санкции США и ЕС намерены ограничить экспорт в РФ новейших технологий добычи  нефти и газа.  В данный момент Россия не имеет экономических, технологических и других рычагов по влиянию на мировые цены на нефть и природный газ. Необходимо осуществить пересчет всех нефтегазовых проектов и бюджета России для негативного сценария – при падении цены на нефть на 30 и 50 долларов за баррель. Создавая новую отрасль энергетики на основе нетрадиционных нефти и газа, США создают 15 млн новых рабочих мест, приобретают энергетическую независимость от других регионов мира, приступают к экспорту углеводородов и создают базу для старта водородной энергетики. В то же время, в планах российских нефтяных компаний нет четких целей по переходу ТЭКа на новые виды энергоносителей, […]

Tatarstan government officials and representatives of major firms based in the region have met at a session of the Republic’s Economic Council to discuss steps aimed at supporting Tatarstan’s industry. Tatarstan’s President pointed out in his opening speech that the Republic spent more than RUB 160 bn last year on products brought from abroad, with almost a third of the sum expended on petrochemical products. An additional RUB 200 bn per year is being spent on buying products in other regions of the Russian Federation (RF), with the list of purchases composed mainly of mechanical engineering goods, transport vehicles and food items. In Tatarstan itself, business output totaled just over RUB 1.5 trillion in 2013, including intangible products (services and trade operations). “Tatarstan’s import substitution potential is most prominent in two fields, the machine building and the chemical industry. The region’s machinery imports currently amount to over $4 bn per […]

According to Bloomberg, OJSC Eurochem intends to get ahead of the potash market leader Uralkali by 2019 thanks to the anticipated launch of two currently developed potash deposits. “We expect both mines to start production by the end of 2017,” said Clark Bailey, Eurochem’s Mining Director, in an interview to the agency. It will take up to two years after that to start exporting potash abroad, said he. The mines currently under construction, one located at the Verkhnekamskoe deposit in the Perm Krai, the other at the Gremyachinskoe deposit in the Volgograd Oblast, are being built in two stages to yield an annual combined output of 8.3 mn tonnes of potash. “Our project boasts a lower cost of construction per tonne of potash capacity than is needed to get a return on investment,” said Mr. Bailey. “Considering the fact that we have a port terminal on the Black Sea, we […]

National Chemical Group has plans to launch the construction of an industrial production complex near the port of Vostochny in the next few months. A statement to that effect was made by the company’s CEO Nikolay Sabitov during a meeting in Yakutsk chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and devoted to the provision of state support to investment projects and advanced development territories in the country’s Far East. “At this stage, we’ve completed pre-project planning, selected a site located near the port of Vostochny, and are ready to commence the actual construction effort in the next few months,” said Mr. Sabitov, according to the records of the meeting. The first stage of the complex will be able to produce 1 mn tonnes of commercial-grade ammonia, 2 mn tonnes of urea and 1 mn tonnes of methanol per year. It will consume 3.2 bn cubic meters of natural gas per year. […]

According to Rosstat, in the first 7 months of 2014 Russia’s output of finished polymer goods increased by 9.6% in comparison with the same period a year ago. There was a significant growth of production figures in July, and this affected the bottom-line value. While amounting to 8.6% when calculated for H1, y/y increase in production reaches as high as 9.6% when assessed for the first 7 months of the year. In January through June, a total of 302.6 thousand tonnes of pipes, hoses and fittings were produced, marking a 10.3% increase y/y. In the month of July the output of these items increased to 56 thousand tonnes from the June mark of 48.7 thousand tonnes, due to a seasonal growth in demand. The output of non-reinforced and single-layer films in the period under report amounted to 611.7 thousand tonnes, marking a y/y increase of 26.2%. Film production hit 112 […]

In the first 7 months of 2014 (January through July), sales of foreign-made polyethylene terephthalate (PET) on the Russian market grew by 35% y/y. A total of 143 thousand tonnes of PET was imported during the period, writes Market Report. The increase is seen as the result of competitive price pressure from China. PET producers of the People’s Republic managed to sell 98 thousand tonnes to Russia in H1, virtually doubling the previous-year figure. In the month of July, sales of China-made reached 21% of Russia’s total foreign PET intake, leading to a decline of PET shipments from South Korea. In the current situation, the weakening of the ruble against the US dollar is making foreign products more expensive. With this fact in mind, Russian producers have grounds to expect the lowering of demand for foreign-made competitively-priced feedstock in the second half of the year. To cite one example, in […]

In line with its program meant to bring investment to the country’s chemical industry, the government of Russia is ready to pay subsidies to plastic product makers. What’s more, the cost of the effort is set to more than double by 2016. According to a decree issued by the Government, subsidies will be paid to chemical companies that have taken loans to fund investment projects. Under the state support scheme, companies with investment projects’ costs falling in the range of RUB 1.5 bn to 5 bn will be entitled to partial compensation of their interest payments. The requisite funds will be sourced from Russian lending institutions or from Vnesheconombank. The approved subsidy volume for 2014 is RUB 70.2 mn. In 2015, spending to the same end will reach RUB 168.5 mn, and as much as RUB 179.9 mn in 2016. At the same time, the subsidy paid in each case […]