Poland's 210,000 b/d Gdansk refinery is increasing production after completing scheduled maintenance earlier this month. Most of the units taken off line for between late February and early April have restarted, as planned, operator Rafineria Gdanska said on 7 April. Maintenance was conducted on crude and vacuum distillation units, a diesel hydrotreater, the MHC mild hydrocracker, a reformer, the jet fuel Merox and hydrogen generation units, and two sulphur recovery units. A second phase of planned maintenance at Gdansk takes the refinery's three base oil units off line from 8 April until mid-May. Rafineria Gdanska is a joint venture of state-controlled Orlen with 70pc and state-controlled Saudi Aramco holding 30pc. Orlen is planning maintenance on a hydrocracker at its 373,000 b/d Plock refinery in Poland from 13 May until 24 June. The Polish company's 63,000 b/d Kralupy refinery in the Czech Republic has been shut down for scheduled maintenance since mid-March and should restart in early May. Orlen's 190,000 b/d Mazeikiai refinery in Lithuania was off line for 30 days of planned maintenance last month.
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US-Canada trade deal collapses as tariffs begin
US-Canada trade deal collapses as tariffs begin
Washington, 22 August (Argus) — The US began collecting new tariffs on about $28bn of Canadian imports on Saturday, and Canada vowed to retaliate, after the two countries failed to reach a trade deal after months of negotiations. Trade negotiations collapsed late on Friday, prompting the US to impose new 50pc tariffs on commodities such as cement, plywood and paper. The impasse also means, at least for now, the end of an effort to reduce US tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney said he would match the tariffs "dollar for dollar", escalating a trade fight that President Donald Trump launched near the start of his second term by putting steep tariffs on vast amounts of imports coming across the border. "This evening, I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the US," Carney said after negotiations fell apart. "Last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal." The US blamed Canada for the failure of talks, claiming Canada made "new demands" and walked back other commitments, despite being offered significantly lower tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles and lumber. "This is a missed opportunity for Canada to partner with the United States," the US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a social media post. The collapse of the deal comes as Trump is facing political blowback over the high prices consumers are paying partly because of his tariffs. On Friday, Trump said he reached a deal allowing up to 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported without tariffs, which he said would lower beef prices. The latest 50pc tariffs will not apply to energy, potash or critical miners, but they will tack on additional costs on other key imports into the US. The failure of the trade talks also could derail Trump's hopes of reviving the Keystone XL crude pipeline. Trump, just days before the trade negotiations faltered, had said that under a deal Keystone XL "may be awoken from the grave" despite being cancelled in 2021. The administration had not offered details about a strategy to restart the project, which its developers abandoned years ago in favor of alternatives such as the 550,000 b/d Prairie Connector pipeline. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Petrocuyo dismisses Ensenada shutdown speculation
Petrocuyo dismisses Ensenada shutdown speculation
Sao Paulo, 21 August (Argus) — Argentinian polypropylene (PP) producer Petrocuyo has denied market rumors that its Ensenada plant will shut down indefinitely, saying the facility is scheduled only for a routine maintenance turnaround expected to last around two to three weeks. A company source told Argus that reports circulating in the market about a broader production stoppage were "totally incorrect" and stressed that the company was planning only a short maintenance outage. The source added that Petrocuyo has sufficient inventories to cover customer requirements and does not expect any significant impact on sales or regional supply during the maintenance period. The clarification comes amid heightened market speculation over the status of the Ensenada facility, given the importance of the facility within Argentina's polypropylene supply chain. According to the company source, operations outside the planned turnaround continue normally and the producer is not undertaking any extraordinary measures beyond its usual maintenance activities. The market reaction reflects broader uncertainty across the global polymers industry. Polypropylene producers in Latin America continue to face pressure from weak demand growth, abundant international supply and aggressive competition from imported material, particularly from Asia. These conditions have compressed margins across the value chain and fueled concerns whenever production outages emerge in the region. For Petrocuyo, however, the maintenance appears to be operational rather than structural. The company source said inventory levels remain adequate and downplayed the likelihood of any meaningful disruption to the market. The source also suggested that some of the rumors may stem from misinterpretations of routine maintenance activities in an environment already marked by oversupply and intense competition. Market participants are expected to continue monitoring the outage closely, given Petrocuyo's position as Argentina's sole polypropylene producer. While the Ensenada site is an important supplier of homopolymer PP to the domestic market, the company also operates its Luján de Cuyo plant in Mendoza, which remains in operation and produces a broader range of polypropylene grades. By Fred Fernandes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Europe PE: Market awaits clearer direction for Sep
Europe PE: Market awaits clearer direction for Sep
London, 21 August (Argus) — The European polyethylene (PE) market was calm this week as the summer lull continued to weigh on trading activity. Many market participants were away from their desks, with seasonal holiday closures at many converters' plants also reducing prompt restocking needs – with pockets of prebuying in July also covering some buyers' requirements for August and early September. Many buyers remain in a wait-and-see mode awaiting clearer direction for September pricing. Seasonal restocking activity is expected to pick up in September, and has kept many sellers optimistic of targeting increases in PE prices in the coming weeks. Some sellers have reported pre-buying demand for September from converters looking to hedge against any increases in short term prices. But the demand picture is expected to become clearer in the coming weeks on whether any meaningful support to fundamentals is seen, which could help PE producers widen margins. Upstream crude prices firmed this week after the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran lapsed, and with vessel traffic through the strait of Hormuz dropping to a record low. Naphtha prompt's price also rose to €675/t on 20 August, from €650/t on 14 August. Naphtha has so far averaged €11/t lower in August – compared with the July average of €656/t – but could moderate to just a €2/t decrease in the average by the end of the month. This backdrop will set the stage for next week's negotiations of feedstock ethylene's September monthly contract price (MCP). Conditions remain challenging in many downstream value chains, which has kept converters mostly err on the side of caution. Import arbitrages remain workable from the US for HDPE and LLDPE grades, and have continued to set the spot price floor in the European market. And with spot prices remaining at wide gaps to contract prices, some buyers held the view of limited upside risk on PE pricing and keeping procurement confined to a need-to basis. Some reports were also heard of competitive offers from the Middle East but logistical bottlenecks persist on shipping from Red Sea ports – particularly with vessel congestion at the port of Jeddah. Converters are also mindful of inventory risks further ahead in the fourth quarter in case of any bearish developments in pricing. There have been some differences between the PE grades, however, with some strengthening seen in LDPE fundamentals. A producer in the Netherlands was heard to have declared force majeure on LDPE supplies earlier in August, which has resulted in tighter supplies on the part of other sellers. Some producers reported being sold out on LDPE volumes for delivery August. And with LDPE supply dynamics being more domestic in the European market, this could continue to lend support to LDPE prices going into September. Low water levels in the Rhine and Danube rivers have continued to affect operating rates at many crackers and polymer plants inland in Europe. Outages persist at some PE plants in central-eastern Europe, and force majeure on supplies remain in place from some plants in that region. This has contributed in keeping PE prices in central-eastern Europe at a premium to northwest Europe and the Mediterranean regions. Against the backdrop of ethylene's August MCP settling at a €42.50/t increase from the July MCP, some PE producers sought as much as €100/t increases in their freely negotiated PE contract prices. Buyers pushed back against any increases in their freely negotiated PE contract prices, arguing these remain disconnected to spot prices and the global market. Settlements were reported in wide ranges, but were concluded at price rollovers in many cases – except for LDPE grades. Some producers reported settlements at increases matching the increase in ethylene's August MCP, while steeper increases of up to €100/t were also reported for LDPE grades. Some buyers also reported securing €20-30/t decreases in their freely negotiated HDPE and LLDPE contract prices, in instances where underlying prices were relatively high. Negotiations are ongoing in some cases for LDPE and LLDPE contracts. For all HDPE grades, the Argus deltas for August were assessed at rollovers. For LDPE and LLDPE butene, the Argus deltas for August will be assessed next week. Spot prices of all HDPE grades and of LLDPE butene were assessed stable this week. It remains to be seen if sellers' targets of securing higher prices for September-delivery volumes come to fruition in the coming weeks. The spot price of LDPE was assessed €50/t higher at €1,200-1,300/t ddp northwest Europe. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Pyrolysis can optimise: CRE
Pyrolysis can optimise: CRE
The cost gap between circular and virgin polymers will narrow over time, but only with investment and regulatory change London, 21 August (Argus) — Pyrolysis yields will improve as the industry matures, boosting availability of circular polymers and reducing the cost gap to virgin polymers, industry association Chemical Recycling Europe (CRE) president and Dutch technology company BlueAlp chief executive Valentijn de Neve tells Argus. "We've already come a long way by influencing the process conditions that mean you minimise gas production, maximise oil production and integrate gas fractions into downstream units to make sure they do not become fuels but become materials," de Neve says. Recouping plastic-derived pyrolysis oil from char and bitumen fractions produced by pyrolysis units, or using them as a standalone product, can also help, he adds. A recent paper by the EU's Joint Research Committee (JRC) stated that circular polymers likely need to cost around three times more than virgin polymers on average for the industry to sustain its costs. CRE's view is that such a large cost gap is similar to that seen in other nascent sustainability transition industries and will narrow over time and with investment, de Neve says. "The JRC rightfully says that circular is more expensive than virgin and that incentives, penalties and enforcements are required to build up capacity," de Neve says. But "CRE thinks this report misses what is possible in terms of development of that price", because the data it uses was gathered from early facilities and it does not factor in improvements in operating rates, scaled-up technologies and innovative business models that various CRE members of are using, he adds. Attracting investment will be the next challenge. European pyrolysis capacity will have to expand by 6-8 times from current rates in order to provide the 10pc recycled content for non-PET contact sensitive plastic packaging by 2030 that the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) dictates, Argus Consulting says. This necessary scale of expansion far outweighs the current announced project pipeline, Argus data show. But de Neve is confident that there are more than enough projects in the pre-final investment decision stage to meet demand, if investors can be persuaded to pull the trigger and plants can be ramped up to target operating rates. "Operating rates will be sufficient" but regulators need to create an environment that persuades would-be investors to commit, he says. "A couple of pieces of secondary legislation are needed… we need mass balance fast, we need clarity around the enforcement in the right way, and we need... European materials to have a level playing field," he says. One commonly cited regulatory hurdle of PPWR for the industry is its so-called revision clause, which gives the European Commission options to enact changes, delays or exemptions to the 10pc recycled content requirement if it thinks it cannot be achieved. Under the regulation, the commission has until February 2028 to make a final decision. The JRC report represents a positive early sign that the commission thinks enough capacity can be built under the right market and regulatory circumstances, strengthening the case against changes to the regulation, de Neve says. The JRC report is "very clear that building the capacity needed for this regulation is not the issue", he says. BlueAlp is seeing particular interest in developing projects with its technology from private-sector financial institutions and waste management companies, de Neve says. Petrochemicals companies and downstream consumers such as brand owners are also active across the wider industry, he says. However, demand for circular polymers has been weak in the past 12 months. Whether because of regulatory uncertainty, cost cutting or low confidence in the robustness of the supply chain, many converters are in no rush to switch to using more chemically recycled materials in packaging. The pyrolysis industry is going through a tough period, and finding ways to bring demand forward ahead of the 2030 target is key if it is be achieved, de Neve says. "In 2030, there's the mandatory demand for circular content, and today it's a voluntary market. And between now and 2030, that's a time that we all need to bridge", he says. Extended producer responsibility measures with discounts for circular content are a positive step, he says. And a proposal for companies to be able to count recycled content used before 2030 towards their PPWR obligations from that date, which de Neve describes as "pragmatic", is gaining momentum within the industry — although it so far remains unclear whether regulators are open to such a move. "I think the good news is that from waste all the way to brand owners and financial institutions, there's a willingness to invest in this sector and we could attract more capital the moment the rules of the game are further clarified. And with that, I actually am quite optimistic on what is planned for the next eight months in terms of secondary legislation," he says. De Neve was speaking on the Argus Chemical Conversations podcast, "Can pyrolysis develop in time for PPWR?", which is available on the Argus website and podcasting apps. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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