PetroRabigh to shut aromatics unit end-February

Spanish Market: Petrochemicals
24/01/20

Saudi joint venture PetroRabigh will shut its aromatics unit in end-February for two months of scheduled maintenance.

Aromatics production capacity has been at 50pc because of weak production margins. The aromatics unit has 400,000 t/yr of benzene and 1.3mn t/yr of paraxylene name plate capacity. The unit will maintain a lower utilisation rate through end-February.

Its upstream 400,000 b/d refinery will start scheduled maintenance from the end of February.

PetroRabigh is a joint venture between state-owned Saudi Aramco and Japanese trading house Sumitomo.

By Suzi Shin

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18/05/26

Hyosung TNC starts Vietnam bio-BDO supply

London, 18 May (Argus) — South Korean chemical producer Hyosung TNC, a subsidiary of Hyosung Group, has begun production of bio-based 1,4-butanediol (bio-BDO) at its site near Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, with a capacity of 50,000 t/yr. The site will be supplied with Brazilian sugarcane as a feedstock and uses fermentation technology from US company Geno, the company announced in a LinkedIn post on 16 May. Bio-BDO is chemically identical to fossil-fuel based BDO and can be easily substituted. BDO is used in the production of polyurethanes, as a chain-extender for some methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) systems and as an intermediate chemical for polyester polyols. It is also used in the manufacture of medicines, including antibiotics. The company noted that the 50,000 t/yr plant can be scaled up to 200,000 t/yr based on demand for bio-based intermediates. But the company has not specified how it plans to achieve this. The opening of the site follows bio-based chemical producer Qore, a joint venture between US firm Cargill and German operation Helm, opening its 66,000 t/yr bio-BDO site in Iowa, US , in July 2025. The Qore plant uses dent corn as a feedstock. The European Commission (EC) implemented anti-dumping duties on imports of both bio-based and fossil-fuel based BDO in February 2026 from the US, China and Saudi Arabia . There are currently no EU anti-dumping duties on imports of Vietnamese BDO. By George Barsted Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Methanol projects dominate Australia H2 subsidy scheme

13/05/26

Methanol projects dominate Australia H2 subsidy scheme

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Brazil’s April PP imports rise, exports keep soaring

12/05/26

Brazil’s April PP imports rise, exports keep soaring

Sao Paulo, 12 May (Argus) — Brazil's polypropylene (PP) imports grew by 10pc in April from a year earlier, mainly from Colombia and Saudi Arabia, while exports soared thanks to rising demand in neighboring countries. Brazil imported over 68,600 metric tonnes (t) in the month, up from almost 62,400 in April 2025. Import values rose by 3.4pc to $82.8mn in the month, according to data from trade ministry Mdic. Colombia remained Brazil's leading PP supplier in April, sending nearly 18,300t, up by 4pc from a year earlier,. It accounted for almost 27pc of import share for the resin, down from 28.2pc a year prior, followed by Saudi Arabia and Argentina. Shipments from Saudi Arabia slightly rose to around 11,450t in the month, representing 16.7pc of Brazil's PP import share, down from a 17.7pc share in April 2025. Argentina came in third with around 10,700t, a 11.2pc rise from a year prior and maintaining its import share at around 15.5pc. Demand remains strong in South America Brazil's PP exports soared to almost 25,000t in April, up by nearly 72pc from a year earlier, with most of its demand still coming from South America. Exports of the resin were valued at $30.7mn in the month, up from $18.9mn in April 2025, Mdic data show. Peru became the largest buyer of Brazilian PP, receiving 4,750t in April, a fourfold increase from a year earlier. South American countries represented nearly 94pc of Brazil's PP exports in the month, of which Peru, Argentina and Colombia accounted for 19pc, 18.4pc and 17.7pc, respectively. By João Curi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US butane exports hit all-time high in April: Kpler

04/05/26

US butane exports hit all-time high in April: Kpler

Houston, 4 May (Argus) — US butane exports hit an all-time high of 689,000 b/d, or 1.9mn metric tonnes (t), in April as buyers in Asia scrambled to replace lost production out of the Middle East. Data tracking firm Kpler showed US butane loadings surpassed the previous high of 1.76mn t in May 2025, when the US trade war with China rerouted loadings and India — a large buyer of butane for residential use — agreed to take US-origin cargoes as part of a trade deal. India was the primary destination for many of the April exports, with 247,000t en route there in April, according to Kpler. Roughly 231,000t shipped to Morocco, 162,000t went to China and another 134,000t to Korea. Mideast LPG cargoes are predominately split evenly between propane and butane, whereas export terminals in the US are configured to mostly load propane. The resulting surge in demand for US butane pushed spot terminal fees for May and June-loading split cargoes to a 10¢/USG or more premium to full-propane loadings, even as global supplies of both products are tightening in the face of the blockade at the strait of Hormuz. In the US, inventories of butane remained 27.5pc above year-before levels as of February at 33.76mn bl, or 3.13mn t, according to the latest data available from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Prompt-month US butane prices at Mont Belvieu, Texas, are up by 21.875¢/USG, or 23.6pc, since the war with Iran began but have lagged steeper gains in crude because of ample supplies. US butane stood at 47.2pc of Nymex WTI on 1 May, versus 65.6pc last year. By Amy Strahan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Japan’s petchem supplies to last into next year: PM

01/05/26

Japan’s petchem supplies to last into next year: PM

Tokyo, 1 May (Argus) — Japan's supply of naphtha-derived chemical products is sufficient to last beyond the end of this year, prime minister Sanae Takaichi said. Japanese refiners are continuing to produce domestically refined naphtha, while naphtha imports from countries outside the Middle East — including the US, Algeria and Peru — will treble in May compared with levels before the escalation of geopolitical tension in the Middle East, Takaichi said on 30 April. Naphtha imports from such countries were 900,000 kilolitres (190,000 b/d) in April and will surpass 1.35mn kl in May, according to the trade and industry ministry Meti. Japan has also secured stocks of intermediate chemical products, such as polyethylene and polypropylene, totalling around 1.8 months' worth of use. These procurement efforts and inventory utilisation mean Japan can maintain its supply of naphtha-derived chemical products beyond the end of the year, Takaichi said, up from the previous estimate of over six months made in early April. Japan has secured around 1.4mn b/d of crude oil for May, accounting for around 60pc of the country's requirement based on average 2025 imports of 2.36mn b/d, Takaichi said. The country secured more than 500,000 b/d in April, around 20pc of its needs, according to Meti. Japan has been drawing on its stockpiles to cover its remaining requirements. It began releasing a second batch of oil from its national reserves on 1 May, Meti said today. The ministry previously said on 30 April that the start of this release would be delayed by one day to 2 May. Takaichi also reiterated that Japan has sufficient oil supplies to last beyond the end of this year, taking into account its oil reserves and alternative purchases. Tokyo has been providing fuel subsidies to ease the impact of rising oil prices caused by supply disruptions through the strait of Hormuz, as it aims to cap retail gasoline prices at around ¥170/l ($1.08/l). Japan's nationwide average gasoline price has fallen to ¥170/l, which is half the level in European countries and similar to prices in oil-producer the US, Takaichi stressed. Japan's subsidised retail gasoline prices averaged ¥169.7/l as of 27 April, according to Meti. By Kohei Yamamoto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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PetroRabigh to shut aromatics unit end-February

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