Current Affairs
April 1, 2021
Foam News
Foam shortage explained; the end may be near
Posted by Robert Dalheim April 01, 2021 | 12:13 pm EDT
Industrial chemical maker EverChem Specialty Chemicals has explained the foam shortage currently affecting the furniture industry in a blog post.
Because foam is light and bulky, it is not efficient to ship very far to the various end users such as furniture manufacturers, bedding, seating and other customers,” the company writes. Consequently the many foam plants are located close to the end use markets and are spread around North America.
Foam is made using a number of chemicals, but the main two are polyol and toluene diisocyanate (TDI). It takes roughly two parts of polyol and one part of TDI to make foam. Foam plants buy these raw materials and have them delivered by either railcars or tank trucks. A typical foam plant will have storage tanks that are big enough to offload a few railcars (180,000 lbs each) or tank trucks (45,000 lbs each). They don’t carry a large inventory of these raw materials, but depend upon a steady and timely supply of railcars and trucks in order to produce the foam for their customers.There are a few different grades of flexible foam polyol, but the most common is made from three primary raw materials–glycerine (the initiator), ethylene oxide (EO) and most of all, propylene oxide (PO). PO is by far the main ingredient.
There are a handful of large polyol producers with a few plants in the midwest but most are on the Gulf coast–close to the propylene oxide producers.
PO is produced by three companies in North America, LyondellBasell, Dow, and Indorama. There are five physical plant locations, with four in Texas and one in Louisiana.
When the pandemic hit last March there was a lot of uncertainty about future demand. The entire furniture-foam-polyol-PO chain of production slowed to a crawl.No one predicted that the demand for bedding and furniture would increase while people were in lock down. The industry came back in June hoping to catch up for the lost production in that April May time frame. The industry tried to run at 120% rates to make up for the two lost months, but the PO plants can only run at 100%, so there was not enough to supply everyone what they wanted. PO production issues in the Fall curtailed polyol production even further to the point that the producers had to put together allocations for their customers. No one could get everything that they needed.
Then the winter storm hit the gulf coast in mid February. When a hurricane is expected, the petrochemical industry gets prepared and often shuts down their operations in advance, weathers the storm, then gets back up and running safely and in a relatively short time frame. This storm caught everyone unprepared and many plants lost power while they were still running. It’s a tribute to the industry and all the plant engineers and employees that there were no major accidents during this abrupt and unexpected shutdown. Lines in the plants froze. Power, steam, nitrogen, and hydrogen supplies were lost. All of the propylene oxide plants were shut down. It was almost like an unexpected Cat 5 hurricane hit all of Texas in the middle of the night.Restarting those plants first requires the utilities and power. The damage can’t be assessed until services like steam and nitrogen are restored (and in many cases, they’re still down). Then all the lines need to be inspected and damage repaired. The plants will start at reduced rates and may take months to get back up to full rates. Meanwhile, the entire polyol inventory pipeline is empty and needs to be refilled.
The TDI story is similar to propylene oxide except that there are only two domestic producers and two physical plant locations. Supply is supplemented by some imports. Those plants are located in Texas and Louisiana and were also affected by the winter storm.
EverChem posts updates on its blog daily. Check it out here: https://everchem.com/flexible-foam-shortages-explained/
Furniture maker Wesley Hall believes the end of the shortage to be near – three weeks to be precise. The company opted to shut down all production for a week and decrease production for the two weeks after that.
March 25, 2021
Suez Canal Blocked
“Might Take Weeks” – Suez Canal Still Closed As “Enormous Beached Whale” Ship Remains Stuck
by Tyler DurdenThursday, Mar 25, 2021 – 06:35 AM
Update (0956ET): Daily Mail’s deputy political editor John Stevens tweets the British government “stands ready” to support operations to free the containership blocking the Suez Canal.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman:
“We are ready to provide any assistance that we can but have not been asked yet.”
* * *
Update (0942 ET): The massive containership blocking the Suez Canal remains stuck in place and unable to refloat on Thursday. Each day the canal is blocked, it halts about $9.6 billion of traffic through the world’s most important shipping lane.
The Suez Canal Authority’s knock-on effects on closing the 120-mile long canal will likely cause shipping traffic jams at both entrances of the canal, delayed shipments, supply chain disruptions, rising prices of certain commodities, and may push up freight rates. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1375080625942724608&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fmight-take-weeks-suez-canal-still-closed-enormous-beached-whale-ship-remains-stuck&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px
* * *
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported Thursday it had suspended traffic along the 120-mile long canal while eight tugboats worked to free a massive containership, according to Reuters.
SCA’s statement said thirteen vessels had sailed south along the canal on Wednesday and were waiting in the canal’s lakes until the containership was refloated. On either side of the canal’s entrances, dozens of ships are piling up as the world’s most crucial shipping lane grinds to a halt.
The container ship called the Ever Given, owned by Evergreen Marine Corp., “could be stuck in the canal for weeks,” according to the firm working to dislodge the vessel.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch company Boskalis which has been tasked to dislodge Ever Given, was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:
“We can’t exclude it might take weeks, depending on the situation. It’s an enormous weight on the sand. We might have to work with a combination of reducing the weight by removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tug boats, and dredging of sand.”
Berdowski compared the 1,312ft-long, 175ft-wide, 200,000-ton vessel to an “enormous beached whale” as he suggested offloading cargo might be one solution to refloat the ship.
A source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Ever Given is “lodged approximately 5 meters into the canal’s bank, hindering efforts to re-float it fully.”
As many as 50 vessels pass through the canal on a given day, which means upwards of 150 vessels could be waiting to transit the canal. By now, some vessels have opted for alternative routes.
NYMEX WTI crude oil futures are down 2% in the overnight session and don’t seem to care about the canal’s continued shuttering. Perhaps, oil traders are refocusing on virus troubles in Europe, hindering demand.
But as we must note, if the SCA were to release a statement indicating a prolonged shutdown of the canal, crude prices would likely continue to rise. This is because 12% of global trade and 8% of liquefied natgas traverse the canal and nearly one million oil barrels each day.
On top of global supply chains already stretched thin due to the virus pandemic, the world’s most important shipping lane is paralyzed.
March 25, 2021
Suez Canal Blocked
“Might Take Weeks” – Suez Canal Still Closed As “Enormous Beached Whale” Ship Remains Stuck
by Tyler DurdenThursday, Mar 25, 2021 – 06:35 AM
Update (0956ET): Daily Mail’s deputy political editor John Stevens tweets the British government “stands ready” to support operations to free the containership blocking the Suez Canal.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman:
“We are ready to provide any assistance that we can but have not been asked yet.”
* * *
Update (0942 ET): The massive containership blocking the Suez Canal remains stuck in place and unable to refloat on Thursday. Each day the canal is blocked, it halts about $9.6 billion of traffic through the world’s most important shipping lane.
The Suez Canal Authority’s knock-on effects on closing the 120-mile long canal will likely cause shipping traffic jams at both entrances of the canal, delayed shipments, supply chain disruptions, rising prices of certain commodities, and may push up freight rates. https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1375080625942724608&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fenergy%2Fmight-take-weeks-suez-canal-still-closed-enormous-beached-whale-ship-remains-stuck&siteScreenName=zerohedge&theme=light&widgetsVersion=e1ffbdb%3A1614796141937&width=550px
* * *
The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) reported Thursday it had suspended traffic along the 120-mile long canal while eight tugboats worked to free a massive containership, according to Reuters.
SCA’s statement said thirteen vessels had sailed south along the canal on Wednesday and were waiting in the canal’s lakes until the containership was refloated. On either side of the canal’s entrances, dozens of ships are piling up as the world’s most crucial shipping lane grinds to a halt.
The container ship called the Ever Given, owned by Evergreen Marine Corp., “could be stuck in the canal for weeks,” according to the firm working to dislodge the vessel.
Peter Berdowski, CEO of Dutch company Boskalis which has been tasked to dislodge Ever Given, was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying:
“We can’t exclude it might take weeks, depending on the situation. It’s an enormous weight on the sand. We might have to work with a combination of reducing the weight by removing containers, oil and water from the ship, tug boats, and dredging of sand.”
Berdowski compared the 1,312ft-long, 175ft-wide, 200,000-ton vessel to an “enormous beached whale” as he suggested offloading cargo might be one solution to refloat the ship.
A source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that Ever Given is “lodged approximately 5 meters into the canal’s bank, hindering efforts to re-float it fully.”
As many as 50 vessels pass through the canal on a given day, which means upwards of 150 vessels could be waiting to transit the canal. By now, some vessels have opted for alternative routes.
NYMEX WTI crude oil futures are down 2% in the overnight session and don’t seem to care about the canal’s continued shuttering. Perhaps, oil traders are refocusing on virus troubles in Europe, hindering demand.
But as we must note, if the SCA were to release a statement indicating a prolonged shutdown of the canal, crude prices would likely continue to rise. This is because 12% of global trade and 8% of liquefied natgas traverse the canal and nearly one million oil barrels each day.
On top of global supply chains already stretched thin due to the virus pandemic, the world’s most important shipping lane is paralyzed.
March 21, 2021
Gulf Coast Update
Post-freeze US petrochemical restarts progressing
- Author
- Kristen Hays
- Editor
- Richard Rubin
- Commodity
- Petrochemicals
Houston — Most US Gulf Coast petrochemical plants that were shut when sustained sub-freezing temperatures hit the region in mid-February have resumed operations or expect to restart by the end of March.
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Restarts have been gradual and operating rates remained reduced as producers have continually checked for any leaks in miles of pipe that was exposed to frigid cold for more than 72 hours. The industry remained focused on bringing crackers back online to produce ethylene needed to feed downstream plants that produce plastic resins and other products.
Numerous force majeures declared the week of Feb. 15 remained in effect as producers sought to clear backlogs of contract orders.
LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel said at an energy conference March 16 that US resin supply could take the rest of 2021 to catch up to demand after weather-related setbacks in 2020 and the February freeze, particularly as already strong demand grows alongside economic recovery boosted by COVID-19 vaccinations becoming more available worldwide.
“As vaccines are rolled out, the year-over-year demand growth and the additional recovery-related growth in demand is still in front of us,” he said. “And supply is going to have to catch up all year long to meet this level of demand that we expect this year.”
Here is a rundown of fallout from the freeze:
FORCE MAJEURES
**Dow Chemical: Declared Feb. 19, on 2-ethylhexanol and butanol products from its Texas City, Texas complex
**Formosa Plastics USA: Declared Feb. 19 on US polyethylene
**BASF: Declared Feb. 19 on dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), a plasticizer, at its Pasadena, Texas, site
**Westlake Chemical: Declared Feb. 19 on US caustic soda, chlorine, PVC and VCM; company has 2.9 million mt/year of US caustic soda capacity, more than 2 million mt/year of PVC capacity, 2.6 million mt/year of VCM; more than 2.26 million mt/year of chlorine capacity at five affected sites
**Formosa Plastics USA: Declared Feb. 18 on US PVC, 1.3 million mt/year of capacity at Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, complexes.
**Dow Chemical: Declared Feb. 18 on multiple intermediate chemicals produced at plants in Deer Park, Freeport, Texas City and Bayport Texas, Hahnville, Louisiana, and Louisville, Kentucky; declaration includes vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), glacial methacrylic acid (GMAA), butyl methacrylate (BMA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), 2-ethylhexyl Acrylate (2EHA), butyl acrylate (BA), and others; Dow informed South American customers
**Celanese: Declared force majeure Feb. 18 on multiple intermediate chemicals normally sold to customers in the US, Europe and the Middle East, including acetic acid, VAM, ethyl acetate and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
**Total: Declared Feb. 17 on polypropylene produced at its 1.15 million mt/year La Porte, Texas, facility
**Formosa Plastics USA: Declared Feb. 17 on all chlor-alkali products
**LyondellBasell: Declared Feb. 16 on styrene monomer
**Vestolit: Declared Feb. 16 on PVC produced at its Colombia and Mexico plants on lack of upstream vinyl chloride monomer feedstock from US suppliers; plants have a combined 1.8 million mt/year of capacity
**Olin: Declared Feb. 16 on US chlorine, caustic soda, ethylene dichloride, epoxy, hydrochloric acid and other products produced at its Freeport, Texas, complex; ; on Feb. 18 Olin expanded the declaration in a separate letter to customers to include products made system-wide
**MEGlobal: Declared Feb. 15 on MEG produced at its Freeport, Texas, site
**LyondellBasell: Declared Feb. 15 on US polyethylene
**Flint Hills Resources: Declared Feb. 15 on polypropylene produced at Longview, Texas
**OxyChem: Declared Feb. 15 on US chlorine, caustic soda, EDC, vinyl chloride monomer and polyvinyl chloride.
**LyondellBasell: Declared Feb. 15 on US polypropylene
**INEOS Olefins and Polymers USA: Declared Feb. 15 on polypropylene
**OQ Chemicals: Declared Feb. 15 on US oxo-alcohols, aldehydes, acids and esters produced at its Bat City, Texas, operations
SHUTDOWNS
**Shell: two crackers with a combined 961,000 mt/year of capacity, Deer Park, Texas
**Nan Ya Plastics: cumulative 1.17 million mt/year of monoethylene glycol, Point Comfort, Texas
**CP Chem: 998,000 mt/year HDPE, Pasadena, Texas
**TPC Group: Houston site, including 544,310 mt/year butadiene unit
**CP Chem: three crackers with a combined capacity of 1.36 million mt/year of capacity, Sweeny, Texas
**INEOS: 1.89 million mt/year of ethylene capacity, Chocolate Bayou, Texas
**LyondellBasell: 1.134 million mt/year cracker, Corpus Christi, Texas
**Dow Chemical: 827,000 mt/year cracker, Orange, Texas
**Indorama Ventures: 435,000 mt/year EO, 358,000 mt/year MEG, Clear Lake, Texas
**LyondellBasell: 265,000 mt/year MEG, Bayport, Texas
RESTARTS
**Dow Chemical: Three crackers with a cumulative capacity of 3.68 million mt/year of capacity and two LDPE units with 552,000 mt/year and 186,000 mt/year HDPE, Freeport, Texas; 490,000 mt/year LLDPE and 390,000 mt/year HDPE, Seadrift, Texas
**Formosa Plastics USA, Point Comfort, Texas: 1.2 million mt/year cracker; 875,000 mt/year HDPE; 400,000 mt/year of LDPE; 465,000 mt/year of LLDPE; 798,000 mt/year of PVC; 1 million mt/year of caustic soda and 910,000 mt/year of chlorine; 753,000 mt/year of VCM; 1.478 million mt/year of EDC; two PP units with combined capacity of 1.7 million mt/year
**Westlake Chemical: 331,763 mt/year cracker, 249,475 mt/year chlorine, 274,423 mt/year caustic soda, 680,388 mt/year vinyl chloride monomer, 680,388 mt/year polyvinyl chloride, Calvert City, Kentucky
**Eastman Chemical: 730,000 mt/year ethylene capacity, Longview, Texas
**LyondellBasell: 3 million mt/year of ethylene capacity in Channelview and La Porte, Texas
**CP Chem: Two crackers with cumulative 2.53 million mt/year capacity, Cedar Bayou, Texas
**Lotte Chemical: 700,000 mt/year MEG, 1 million mt/year joint-venture cracker, Lake Charles, Louisiana
**Olin: Freeport, Texas complex, with 3 million mt/year of caustic soda and 2.73 million mt/year of chlorine capacity; 748,000 mt/year of EDC
**OxyChem: 544,000 mt/year cracker; 248,000 mt/year chlor-alkali; 680,000 mt/year EDC, Ingleside, Texas; Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas, 1.27 million mt in PVC capacity, Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas; 1.79 million mt/year of VCM, 580,000 mt/year chlor-alkali, La Porte, Texas
**Shintech: Freeport, Texas: 1.45 million mt/year PVC; one of three PVC lines shut down week of March 15 for a planned turnaround
**Indorama Ventures: 235,867 mt/year cracker; 1 million mt/year ethylene oxide/MEG unit, 238,135 mt/year propylene oxide unit, and 988,000 mt/year of MTBE capacity, Port Neches, Texas
**Westlake Chemical, 632,000 mt/year cracker, Lake Charles, Louisiana
**MEGlobal: 750,000 mt/year monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant, Freeport, Texas
**Nan Ya Plastics, two MEG units with a cumulative 1.17 million mt/year capacity, Point Comfort, Texas
**Dow Chemical: 300,000 mt/year MEG, Seadrift, Texas
**Indorama Ventures: 300,000 mt/year MEG, Clear Lake, Texas
**CP Chem, two crackers with a combined 1.9 million mt/year of capacity, Cedar Bayou, Texas
**CP Chem, 853,000 mt/year cracker, Port Arthur, Texas
**Braskem: 360,000 mt/year PP Freeport, Texas; 450,000 mt/year PP, La Porte, Texas
**Motiva Chemicals: 635,000 mt/year mixed-feed cracker, Port Arthur, Texas
**Shell: Norco, Louisiana, restarted two crackers with a combined 1.4 million mt/year of capacity
**Baystar Polymers: 408,000 mt/year HDPE unit at Bayport, Texas
**Flint Hills Resources: 658,000 mt/year PDH unit, Houston
**Dow Chemical: 750,000 PDH, Freeport, Texas
**ExxonMobil: Beaumont, Texas; 826,000 mt/year cracker; 225,000 mt/year HDPE; 240,000 mt/year LDPE; 1.19 million mt/year LLDPE with some HDPE capacity
**ExxonMobil: Baytown, Texas; three crackers with a combined capacity of 3.8 million mt/year; 800,000 mt/year PP
**Sasol: 380,000 mt/year EO/MEG, Lake Charles, Louisiana
**Formosa Plastics USA: 513,000 mt/year PVC, 653,000 mt/year VCM, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
**LyondellBasell: Lake Charles, Louisiana, joint-venture 470,000 mt/year LLDPE; 420,000 mt/year LDPE
PRICES
**The FD Mont Belvieu spot ethylene price has risen 53% since Feb. 12 to 55.50 cents/lb on March 19, while the FD Choctaw marker has risen 61% in that span to 58 cents/lb
**Spot polymer-grade propylene prices rose 27% from Feb. 12 to an all-time high of $1.24.75/lb FD USG when all three US PDH plants were shut – two on the freeze, one for a turnaround – but have since declined 32% to 84 cents/lb FD USG on March 19.
**US export PVC prices reached a fresh all-time high of $1,700/mt March 17 on deals done amid tight post-freeze supply and turnarounds.
March 21, 2021
Gulf Coast Update
Post-freeze US petrochemical restarts progressing
- Author
- Kristen Hays
- Editor
- Richard Rubin
- Commodity
- Petrochemicals
Houston — Most US Gulf Coast petrochemical plants that were shut when sustained sub-freezing temperatures hit the region in mid-February have resumed operations or expect to restart by the end of March.
Not registered?
Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now
Restarts have been gradual and operating rates remained reduced as producers have continually checked for any leaks in miles of pipe that was exposed to frigid cold for more than 72 hours. The industry remained focused on bringing crackers back online to produce ethylene needed to feed downstream plants that produce plastic resins and other products.
Numerous force majeures declared the week of Feb. 15 remained in effect as producers sought to clear backlogs of contract orders.
LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel said at an energy conference March 16 that US resin supply could take the rest of 2021 to catch up to demand after weather-related setbacks in 2020 and the February freeze, particularly as already strong demand grows alongside economic recovery boosted by COVID-19 vaccinations becoming more available worldwide.
“As vaccines are rolled out, the year-over-year demand growth and the additional recovery-related growth in demand is still in front of us,” he said. “And supply is going to have to catch up all year long to meet this level of demand that we expect this year.”
Here is a rundown of fallout from the freeze:
FORCE MAJEURES
**Dow Chemical: Declared Feb. 19, on 2-ethylhexanol and butanol products from its Texas City, Texas complex
**Formosa Plastics USA: Declared Feb. 19 on US polyethylene
**BASF: Declared Feb. 19 on dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), a plasticizer, at its Pasadena, Texas, site
**Westlake Chemical: Declared Feb. 19 on US caustic soda, chlorine, PVC and VCM; company has 2.9 million mt/year of US caustic soda capacity, more than 2 million mt/year of PVC capacity, 2.6 million mt/year of VCM; more than 2.26 million mt/year of chlorine capacity at five affected sites
**Formosa Plastics USA: Declared Feb. 18 on US PVC, 1.3 million mt/year of capacity at Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, complexes.
**Dow Chemical: Declared Feb. 18 on multiple intermediate chemicals produced at plants in Deer Park, Freeport, Texas City and Bayport Texas, Hahnville, Louisiana, and Louisville, Kentucky; declaration includes vinyl acetate monomer (VAM), methyl methacrylate (MMA), glacial methacrylic acid (GMAA), butyl methacrylate (BMA), glycidyl methacrylate (GMA), 2-ethylhexyl Acrylate (2EHA), butyl acrylate (BA), and others; Dow informed South American customers
**Celanese: Declared force majeure Feb. 18 on multiple intermediate chemicals normally sold to customers in the US, Europe and the Middle East, including acetic acid, VAM, ethyl acetate and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA)
**Total: Declared Feb. 17 on polypropylene produced at its 1.15 million mt/year La Porte, Texas, facility
**Formosa Plastics USA: Declared Feb. 17 on all chlor-alkali products
**LyondellBasell: Declared Feb. 16 on styrene monomer
**Vestolit: Declared Feb. 16 on PVC produced at its Colombia and Mexico plants on lack of upstream vinyl chloride monomer feedstock from US suppliers; plants have a combined 1.8 million mt/year of capacity
**Olin: Declared Feb. 16 on US chlorine, caustic soda, ethylene dichloride, epoxy, hydrochloric acid and other products produced at its Freeport, Texas, complex; ; on Feb. 18 Olin expanded the declaration in a separate letter to customers to include products made system-wide
**MEGlobal: Declared Feb. 15 on MEG produced at its Freeport, Texas, site
**LyondellBasell: Declared Feb. 15 on US polyethylene
**Flint Hills Resources: Declared Feb. 15 on polypropylene produced at Longview, Texas
**OxyChem: Declared Feb. 15 on US chlorine, caustic soda, EDC, vinyl chloride monomer and polyvinyl chloride.
**LyondellBasell: Declared Feb. 15 on US polypropylene
**INEOS Olefins and Polymers USA: Declared Feb. 15 on polypropylene
**OQ Chemicals: Declared Feb. 15 on US oxo-alcohols, aldehydes, acids and esters produced at its Bat City, Texas, operations
SHUTDOWNS
**Shell: two crackers with a combined 961,000 mt/year of capacity, Deer Park, Texas
**Nan Ya Plastics: cumulative 1.17 million mt/year of monoethylene glycol, Point Comfort, Texas
**CP Chem: 998,000 mt/year HDPE, Pasadena, Texas
**TPC Group: Houston site, including 544,310 mt/year butadiene unit
**CP Chem: three crackers with a combined capacity of 1.36 million mt/year of capacity, Sweeny, Texas
**INEOS: 1.89 million mt/year of ethylene capacity, Chocolate Bayou, Texas
**LyondellBasell: 1.134 million mt/year cracker, Corpus Christi, Texas
**Dow Chemical: 827,000 mt/year cracker, Orange, Texas
**Indorama Ventures: 435,000 mt/year EO, 358,000 mt/year MEG, Clear Lake, Texas
**LyondellBasell: 265,000 mt/year MEG, Bayport, Texas
RESTARTS
**Dow Chemical: Three crackers with a cumulative capacity of 3.68 million mt/year of capacity and two LDPE units with 552,000 mt/year and 186,000 mt/year HDPE, Freeport, Texas; 490,000 mt/year LLDPE and 390,000 mt/year HDPE, Seadrift, Texas
**Formosa Plastics USA, Point Comfort, Texas: 1.2 million mt/year cracker; 875,000 mt/year HDPE; 400,000 mt/year of LDPE; 465,000 mt/year of LLDPE; 798,000 mt/year of PVC; 1 million mt/year of caustic soda and 910,000 mt/year of chlorine; 753,000 mt/year of VCM; 1.478 million mt/year of EDC; two PP units with combined capacity of 1.7 million mt/year
**Westlake Chemical: 331,763 mt/year cracker, 249,475 mt/year chlorine, 274,423 mt/year caustic soda, 680,388 mt/year vinyl chloride monomer, 680,388 mt/year polyvinyl chloride, Calvert City, Kentucky
**Eastman Chemical: 730,000 mt/year ethylene capacity, Longview, Texas
**LyondellBasell: 3 million mt/year of ethylene capacity in Channelview and La Porte, Texas
**CP Chem: Two crackers with cumulative 2.53 million mt/year capacity, Cedar Bayou, Texas
**Lotte Chemical: 700,000 mt/year MEG, 1 million mt/year joint-venture cracker, Lake Charles, Louisiana
**Olin: Freeport, Texas complex, with 3 million mt/year of caustic soda and 2.73 million mt/year of chlorine capacity; 748,000 mt/year of EDC
**OxyChem: 544,000 mt/year cracker; 248,000 mt/year chlor-alkali; 680,000 mt/year EDC, Ingleside, Texas; Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas, 1.27 million mt in PVC capacity, Deer Park and Pasadena, Texas; 1.79 million mt/year of VCM, 580,000 mt/year chlor-alkali, La Porte, Texas
**Shintech: Freeport, Texas: 1.45 million mt/year PVC; one of three PVC lines shut down week of March 15 for a planned turnaround
**Indorama Ventures: 235,867 mt/year cracker; 1 million mt/year ethylene oxide/MEG unit, 238,135 mt/year propylene oxide unit, and 988,000 mt/year of MTBE capacity, Port Neches, Texas
**Westlake Chemical, 632,000 mt/year cracker, Lake Charles, Louisiana
**MEGlobal: 750,000 mt/year monoethylene glycol (MEG) plant, Freeport, Texas
**Nan Ya Plastics, two MEG units with a cumulative 1.17 million mt/year capacity, Point Comfort, Texas
**Dow Chemical: 300,000 mt/year MEG, Seadrift, Texas
**Indorama Ventures: 300,000 mt/year MEG, Clear Lake, Texas
**CP Chem, two crackers with a combined 1.9 million mt/year of capacity, Cedar Bayou, Texas
**CP Chem, 853,000 mt/year cracker, Port Arthur, Texas
**Braskem: 360,000 mt/year PP Freeport, Texas; 450,000 mt/year PP, La Porte, Texas
**Motiva Chemicals: 635,000 mt/year mixed-feed cracker, Port Arthur, Texas
**Shell: Norco, Louisiana, restarted two crackers with a combined 1.4 million mt/year of capacity
**Baystar Polymers: 408,000 mt/year HDPE unit at Bayport, Texas
**Flint Hills Resources: 658,000 mt/year PDH unit, Houston
**Dow Chemical: 750,000 PDH, Freeport, Texas
**ExxonMobil: Beaumont, Texas; 826,000 mt/year cracker; 225,000 mt/year HDPE; 240,000 mt/year LDPE; 1.19 million mt/year LLDPE with some HDPE capacity
**ExxonMobil: Baytown, Texas; three crackers with a combined capacity of 3.8 million mt/year; 800,000 mt/year PP
**Sasol: 380,000 mt/year EO/MEG, Lake Charles, Louisiana
**Formosa Plastics USA: 513,000 mt/year PVC, 653,000 mt/year VCM, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
**LyondellBasell: Lake Charles, Louisiana, joint-venture 470,000 mt/year LLDPE; 420,000 mt/year LDPE
PRICES
**The FD Mont Belvieu spot ethylene price has risen 53% since Feb. 12 to 55.50 cents/lb on March 19, while the FD Choctaw marker has risen 61% in that span to 58 cents/lb
**Spot polymer-grade propylene prices rose 27% from Feb. 12 to an all-time high of $1.24.75/lb FD USG when all three US PDH plants were shut – two on the freeze, one for a turnaround – but have since declined 32% to 84 cents/lb FD USG on March 19.
**US export PVC prices reached a fresh all-time high of $1,700/mt March 17 on deals done amid tight post-freeze supply and turnarounds.
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