“Japan’s exports of petrochemical products may fall
as domestic petrochemical makers lose market share in China after new
plants start up in the Middle East, the trade ministry said in a report
in May 2010. Ethylene output from countries including Qatar and Saudi
Arabia will climb 12 percent to 23.19 million metric tons this year,
according to the ministry..
.
Japan relies on imports for about 50 percent of its naphtha
requirements as feedstock for ethylene production. Ethylene production
capacity in the Middle East will gain 5 percent to 27.32 million tons
this year, the trade ministry estimated..
.
Saudi Basic Industries Corp., the world’s biggest petrochemicals maker,
or Sabic, started commercial operations last year at its units Eastern
Petrochemical com., known as Sharq, and Yanbu National Petrochemical
com., known as Yansab..
.
Rabigh Refining & Petrochemicals com. started operations of an
ethane cracker unit at its petrochemical complex in April 2009. The
complex has total ethylene production capacity of 1.3 million tons a
year..
.
The joint venture between state-owned Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo
Chemical com. of Japan plans to boost capacity to 3.7 million tons a
year, Abdulaziz Al-Judaimi, Aramco’s vice president responsible for
chemicals”
Date:1/19/2011
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