Insights

Definition:  The wording “Grass-roots” refers to a new plant to be built up from scratch. It has no connection with the process to be used. Comment:  “Green field’ is the most common synonym of “Grass-roots”, both oppose to “Brown field” which is used for existing facilities. For more information and data about oil and gas […]

Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. announced to invest more than $1.7 billion at its Point Comfort, Texas site, USA, in new Olefins and Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) facility. This will be the third major expansion at the Point Comfort site and will consist of a: New, grass-roots 800,000 MT/Y olefins cracker Associated 600,000 MT/Y propane dehydrogenation […]

On February 27th the gas price in North America reached a new low at $2.57 per million btu with all chances to stay below $3 for a while. In dividing the gas price by four since its peak at $13.5 per million btu in July 2008, the massive development of the shale gas is not […]

Definition: A “Lump Sum Turn Key (LSTK) Contract” refers to bidding terms and conditions between the End User and an EPC which don’t allow any financial change for a given scope of work until the EPC is able the deliver the newly built plant in full operations to the End User. Comment: The benefit of […]

Chevron Phillips Chemical Corporation (CP Chem) has selected its existing Cedar Bayou facility in Baytown, Texas, USA, to build its new “world-scale” 1.5 million t/y ethylene plant. The ethane will come from the local shale gas resources considered now as a competitive and sustainable feed stock. The ethane cracker will use the Shaw technology and […]

TNK-BP is planning to invest $4 billion during the next three years to develop Arctic oil and gas fields. The intention is to compensate the natural decline of production from the aged Russian fields. “TNK-BP is developing four oil fields in Northern Russia’s Yamal region with first oil planned in 2016 and production to reach […]

Definition:  The acronym “EPCM” stands for “Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management”. It may also be called “EPCS” for “Engineering, Procurement and Construction Services” or “PMS” for “Project Management Services”. As expressed clearly in the “PMS” definition, the “EPCM” refers to very different role from the “EPC” where the engineering company having the “EPCM” contract, supports […]

Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Shell have signed a Head of Agreement to build $6.4 billion olefins and derivatives complex in Ras Laffan, Qatar. QP and Shell have already performed the feasibility study of this complex to be owned 80% by QP and 20% by Shell and to supply the Asia markets. The project includes: –          […]

According to the last financial study released by Al-Rajhi Capital, the growth forecast of the Saudi Arabian petrochemical companies is healthy, despite lingering uncertainties in the global economies. Because of their diversified activities, companies like SABIC or TASNEE should not be impacted by the feedstock costs increase in 2013 as could be the “pure-play producers”. […]

Qatar Petroleum (QP) and Qatar Petrochemicals Corporation (Qapco) have agreed to proceed with the $5.5 billion petrochemical complex in Ras Laffan, Qatar. The project will be owned by 80% by QP, 20% by Qapco, and will have a capacity of: –          1.4 million t/y ethylene –          850 000 t/y high density polyethylene (HDPE) –          430 000 t/y […]