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EU imposes s-PVC anti-dumping duties on Egypt, US

  • : Petrochemicals
  • 24/06/17

The European Commission has proposed provisional anti-dumping duties on US and Egyptian- origin s-PVC imports following an investigation.

The proposed duties are significant, ranging from 74.2pc to 100.1pc depending on the supplier, and would be applied to the cif import price before customs duties, effectively blocking most imports originating from the two countries. Interested parties have three working days to respond to the pre-disclosure information. The latest date for the commission to implement the provisional measures is 12 July.

The EU imported an average of 20,000 t/month of PVC from the US and 4,000 t/month from Egypt in the first three months of this year, out of total imports averaging 52,000 t/month. S-PVC accounts for around 90pc of total imports, according to the original complaint that triggered the investigation.

The trade complaint was initiated by three European producers which representing nearly half of EU production — Inovyn, Kem One and Vynova. Under their own analysis, the companies estimate a dumping margin of 40-59pc for US-origin s-PVC and 45pc for Egyptian-origin s-PVC between 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023.

The period in question was when the global PVC market was under significant pressure from weak demand. Other countries have initiated investigations covering the same or similar periods for a variety of exporting countries.

A similar trade-remedy investigation on s-PVC imports from the US is underway in the UK. India recently implemented anti-dumping duties on e-PVC imports from China, South Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Taiwan and Thailand. India has also launched an investigation into dumping from China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the US during October 2022 to September 2023.

Protectionist trade initiatives are on the rise in global chemical markets as weak demand and, in some cases, rising capacity have heaped pressure on many existing producers. Producers, particularly in Europe, have noted the burden of investment needed to meet EU sustainability and decarbonisation targets. In April, the European Commission imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) from China.

Provisional anti-dumping dutiespc
Country CompanyDumping MarginInjury MarginProvisional anti-dumping duty
EgyptEgyptian Petrochemical Company109.5100.1100.1
EgyptTCI Sanmar S.A.E86.174.274.2
EgyptAll other companies109.5100.1100.1
US Formosa Plastics Corporation71.190.671.1
US Westlake Chemicals58.087.258.0
US Oxy Vinyls, LP63.788.363.7
US Shintech Incorporated63.788.363.7
US All other companies78.590.678.5

Europe and US PVC prices $/t

EU-27 s-PVC imports 000t

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25/02/17

Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical to produce recycled PE, PP

Japan’s Mitsubishi Chemical to produce recycled PE, PP

Tokyo, 17 February (Argus) — Japanese petrochemical producer Mitsubishi Chemical plans to demonstrate production of recycled polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) at its chemical recycling plant in eastern prefecture Ibaraki from this summer. Mitsubishi Chemical and its five recycled plastic supply chain partners — the city of Kashima in Ibaraki, recycled material producer Refinverse, package manufacturer Toyo Seikan, food supplier Kewpie and Ibaraki-based supermarket operator Kasumi — signed an agreement on 14 February to collaborate in demonstrating recycled plastic production and supply. The firms will collect waste plastics within Ibaraki for processing to produce oil, which will be used to manufacture recycled plastics such as lids of sauce bottles for supply to the market before being collected from end users as waste plastics for chemical recycling. Mitsubishi Chemical will use its chemical recycling plant in the Kashima petrochemical complex in Ibaraki for this circular economy project. The firm completed construction of the plant in November 2024 and has been conducting a trial run to turn waste plastics into regenerated oils. Mitsubishi Chemical's subsidiaries Japan Polyethylene and Japan Polypropylene will be in charge of manufacturing PE and PP from the recycled oil. The demonstration will continue until June 2026. But the timeline for this project and its Kashima chemical recycling plant beyond this, including targets for commercial operations, was not disclosed. Mitsubishi Chemical initially aimed to start commercial operation of the plant, which can process 20,000 t/yr waste plastics to generate around 12,000-16,000 t/yr of regenerated oil, by the April 2023-March 2024 fiscal year. But construction was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic and delays in deliveries of equipment amid the Ukraine-Russia conflict. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Biomethanol-methanol diff widens, UK demand ticks up


25/02/14
25/02/14

Biomethanol-methanol diff widens, UK demand ticks up

London, 14 February (Argus) — The spread between biomethanol and conventional methanol is the highest in more than nine months, at $734/t. This is partly driven by falling European methanol prices, with the methanol fob Rotterdam barge quote hitting $348.97/t on 12 February, the lowest since 7 August. Increased imports from the US, and the restart of a 900,000 t/yr capacity European plant have put downward pressure on prices. Biomethanol values ticked higher in recent sessions, tracking gains in the wider biofuels complex after record low values for renewable fuel tickets — tradeable credits generated primarily by the sale of biofuel-blended fuels — in major European demand centres in 2024. European demand for biofuels in 2025 could be supported by a combination of higher mandates for the use of renewables in transport, and by changes to regulations on the carryover of renewable fuels tickets in Germany and in the Netherlands . UK biomethanol prices and demand rise In the UK, the Argus cif biomethanol price has averaged $1,110/t so far in February, a $22/t increase from January and a $60/t rise from the September 2024 average, when prices hit a record low. The price averaged around $1,094/t in February last year. Prices have been in part supported by stronger renewable fuel ticket prices (RTFCs) in the UK recently, according to market participants. UK 2025 non-crop RTFCs averaged 25.45p in the first quarter of 2025 so far, an increase of 1.88p when compared with the previous quarter. Demand picked up in the UK and the wider European market, including from voluntary sectors, at the beginning of the year, participants said. Biomethanol is used as a gasoline blending component in the UK. Consumption in the country in 2024 rose by 45pc on the year but was lower by 7.9pc than in 2022 at 58mn litres, according to the third provisional release of the 2024 Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation statistics. The Argus biomethanol fob Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) netback quote was $1,083/t on 12 February. FuelEU fuels demand The January rollout of the FuelEU Maritime regulations could increase demand for biomethanol in shipping. Ship operators traveling in to, out of and within EU territorial waters must reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity on a lifecycle basis by 2pc. The reduction rises to 6pc from 2030 and gradually reaches 80pc by 2050. Shipping companies can choose from a range of alternative marine fuels to reduce their emissions. Only dedicated ships can run on methanol alone, but many companies, including Maersk , have ordered dual-fuel vessels that can run on methanol and traditional bunker fuels, along with biofuel blends like B24 — a mix of very-low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) and used cooking oil methyl ester (Ucome) biodiesel. International offtake agreements for renewable methanol are also on the rise. Maersk has signed several letters of intent for procurement of biomethanol and e-methanol from producers including Equinor , Proman and OCI Global , and has an agreement with Danish shipping and logistics company Goldwind for 500,000 t/yr from 2024. Biomethanol and e-methanol are likely to be the most competitive and scalable pathways to decarbonisation this decade, Maersk said . While relatively small, Maersk's 'green marine' fuel consumption, which includes biomethanol, increased by 38pc in 2024 to 3,034 GWh. Singaporean container shipping group X-Press Feeders said it will buy biomethanol from OCI's Texas plant starting from 2024. Biomethanol bunker sales in the port of Rotterdam dropped by more than half in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared with the third quarter, to 930t, but sales were 86pc higher than those in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to Port of Rotterdam data . UDB risk to biomethanol imports The European Commission's proposal to exclude automatic certification of biomethane and biomethane-based fuels from the Union Database for Biofuels, if relying on natural gas that has been transported through grids outside the EU, has been slowing some negotiations for 2025 biomethanol imports — particularly from the US — according to market participants. Industry bodies have expressed concerns about implementation of the database, particularly that it will impede the bloc's biomethane development. Burdensome fees, overly strict deadlines, risk of double counting, and a significantly increased number of participants required to enter data will slow market growth, said the European Compost Network and the European Waste Management Association. They recommend mandatory use of the UDB be postponed until 1 January 2026 "at the earliest". By Evelina Lungu Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Indonesia mulls anti-dumping duties on PP co-polymer


25/02/14
25/02/14

Indonesia mulls anti-dumping duties on PP co-polymer

Singapore, 14 February (Argus) — The Indonesian Anti-Dumping Committee (KADI) on 12 February proposed the imposition of anti-dumping duties (ADDs) on the imports of polypropylene (PP) co-polymer from five origins. This follows an 18-month investigation since August 2023 . The proposed ADDs for products under the HS code 39023090 are pending review by the Indonesian trade ministry. Market participants expect an outcome around the second quarter of this year. The affected exporters from South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and the UAE, as well as several local Indonesian importers have been asked to submit relevant data and provide their responses during the investigation period. Imports from these five countries made up 84pc of Indonesia's PP co-polymer imports in 2022 – the year which is being investigated for dumping activity. KADI has proposed the below ADDs to be imposed on PP co-polymer imports into Indonesia, with rates varying depending on the exporter and country of origin. Exporters from South Korea: 7.17-19.58pc Exporters from Vietnam: 11.4pc Exporters from Malaysia: 13.45-29.01pc Exporters from Singapore: 11.6-13.06pc Exporters from UAE: 21.02pc Exemptions will be given to the imports of selected PP co-polymer grades including random co-polymer, terpolymer, elastomer and block co-polymer with specific parameters, according to an official notice seen by Argus . These grades are likely not produced locally or different from local supplies in terms of specifications and end usage. The ADDs are proposed to be valid for five years upon enforcement. More protectionism measures underway KADI began the PP co-polymer anti-dumping investigation in 2023 prompted by Indonesia's largest petrochemical producer, Chandra Asri, which is also the sole producer of PP co-polymer in the country. The Indonesian Trade Security Committee also began an anti-dumping investigation into imports of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) under the HS code 39011092 in September last year , targeting several LLDPE importers based in Indonesia, but it is unclear how long the investigation will take. Chandra Asri also sought the imposition of anti-dumping measures for the imports of PP homopolymer under the HS code 39021040 into Indonesia in October last year and an investigation is ongoing, according to market sources. Growing PE and PP oversupply globally and weak regional downstream consumption in the past few years have led to higher imports, pressuring regional prices and leading southeast Asian producers to seek measures from local governments to protect their domestic market share. But the imposition of ADDs or any additional safeguard duties is likely to result in higher costs of locally manufactured plastic goods, which will in turn be passed on to consumers. By Yee Ying Ang Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Republic Services finishes Indiana sorting center build


25/02/14
25/02/14

Republic Services finishes Indiana sorting center build

Houston, 13 February (Argus) — US-based materials recovery facility operator and hauler Republic Services has finished construction on its second polymer center in Indianapolis, with initial income from the plant expected in the second half of the year, the company said in its earnings call. Republic Service's polymer centers are secondary sorting facilities that produce recycled polyethylene terephthalate flake and color sort high-density polyethylene and polypropylene waste to sell to reprocessors. Republic Services faced some challenges in the third quarter and fourth quarter of 2024 with startup costs for equipment and getting specifications correct for customers at its operational polymer center in Las Vegas, but after those initial hurdles, the company was "feeling good" about them, chief executive John Vander Ark said. The company's prior assumptions about production in Las Vegas in terms of selling price, costs, volume sold, and the willingness of customers to pay were really "strong" and "positive," he added. Republic Services finished construction on its Las Vegas polymer center in December 2023. The polymer centers are strategically located next to joint venture Blue Polymers' facilities. Republic Services plans to provide feedstocks to Blue Polymers in order to produce pelletized and compounded recycled resin. Blue Polymers is expected to finish construction on its first plant in Indianapolis in mid-2025, Republic Services said. Republic Services aims to spend $75mn on new polymer centers in 2025. By Zach Kluver Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Upper Mississippi River ice tops 5-year average


25/02/13
25/02/13

Upper Mississippi River ice tops 5-year average

Houston, 13 February (Argus) — Ice measurements taken Wednesday to gauge when barges can transit the upper Mississippi River exceeded the five-year average, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The annual Lake Pepin ice reports — taken by the Corps in February and March at Lake Pepin south of Minneapolis — are a bellwether for when barge transit can resume on the upper Mississippi River. This year's first report found ice at the lake was 19in thick on 12 February, 8in thicker than last year's measurement and 3in above the five-year average. The Corps' initial report last year found only 11in of ice at the lake, thin enough for waterborne traffic to break through. Subsequent reports were cancelled after the Corps said it would be too hazardous for crews and equipment to take additional measurements. Locks along the upper Mississippi River are anticipated to remain closed through 3 March, the Rock Island Corps district in Illinois said on 5 February. By Meghan Yoyotte Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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