8Two Urea Shipment is coming up on 22 Jan 2021
8One Sulphuric acid shipment is coming up on 30 Jan 2021

There is an update on the IOCL-CPCL Nagapattinam project
When is capital approval likely?

In an informal briefing, GAIL has claimed that high LNG prices are a result of mostly paper transactions between a few big LNG traders.
8GAIL also said that it is willing to sell LNG at a far lower price than the benchmark JKM spot prices.
8This assertion by the Indian largest gas trader seems to cast doubt on the viability of JKM as a benchmark for gas prices for India.
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India's dependence on LNG demand is high now
8Overall, we are 64% dependent on LNG
8Power is 40%, fertilizers 73%
8Refineries is as high as 88%
8Petrochemicals is a whopping 95%
Find out how high gas prices are having an impact.

While high spot LNG prices have dried up LNG cargoes into India, these prices are unlikely to last beyond a point.
8Also, Indian companies have learned a lesson: that while spot LNG can be a viable way of plugging a gap in supply, sticking to long term contracts, whether Henry Hub based or Brent-based is the best way out.
8Sticking to good old GAIL will make more sense than to go with newer players. The fertilizer industry, for example, will always pitch for GAIL even if a competitor is providing gas at a lower rate. "Whenever there is an unscheduled shutdown, we have found GAIL adjusting the volumes elsewhere instead of imposing take-or-pay penalties. This is something a new supplier cannot afford to provide," a source in Iffco, the country's largest fertilizer company told this website. "Look at the situation now, GAIL continues to provide gas while others have run for cover," he added.
8As for the power sector, even in normal times, the survival of gas-based power plants was a problem, but with LNG prices sky-high, even those with captive distribution systems such as Torrent are balking at buying gas. In the merit order system, it is near-impossible to find any demand for gas-based power.
8What should be the proportion of spot vs. term? Well, that depends on the risk-taking capacity of the buyer. But the lesson here is not to be swayed by low spot LNG prices to take long term decisions. Just a few months ago, when spot prices were really low, many buyers of US HH-based term gas, were trying to re-read their GSAs to find loopholes to get out of them. They should be thankful now that they have these deals in place.
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High spot prices have dried up LNG supplies to India.
8A comparison of our daily data from two months ago with that of the import sheet as of yesterday will show that LNG imports have gone down dramatically.
8Exactly two months ago, on November 20, 2020, LNG imports that we had documented come to 2411832 cubic metres
8As on January 19, 2021, the total volume that we could document was just 1689523 cubic metres
8As on 21 November 2020, there were 595095 cubic metres of gas meant to come in at Hazira while Dahej was meant to process 1527237 cubic metres of gas
8As of yesterday, 290000 cubic metres is documented to come in at Hazira and 953793 cubic metres at Dahej
8Also, the Hazira data as of yesterday is misleading, as these shipments are meant to come in only in February now, as for this entire month, there are no shipments coming in at Hazira. Two major clients, ArcelorMittal and RIL are both not bringing any cargoes. RIL is using its ethane cargoes and liquid fuels while AcerlorMittal is being supplied gas from RIL's new gas from the KG Basin.
8But clearly, the point to note is that India Inc is adjusting to low LNG supply by going through the time tested way of switching to alternate fuels, like naptha or fuel oil or syngas.
8India's gas demand can see big increases only if the price is low, in the range of $6-7/mmbtu whereas the price appetite is much higher in countries such as China or in Korea or Japan.  India's demand for gas highly prices elastic.
8The projection is that these high, winter demand-driven prices are going to settle down, and hopefully, the termianls will start importing normal volumes of LNG
8But the lesson for Indian businesses is that you cannot depend on gas entirely, and that you need to have dual feed systems so that when push comes to shove, you can move easily to alternate fuels.

The process of merging ONGC's two oil refining subsidiaries, Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL) and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL), will start only after the company completes merging ONGC Mangalore Petrochemical Ltd (OMPL) with MRPL.
Know more on what is next here

8Increasingly, the chemical industry in India is looking at adopting the zero liquid discharge (ZLD) technology to prevent the dumping of untreated waste sewer lines.
8This is because such activity is now coming into increasing focus
Find out more on the zero liquid discharge industry.
8Where is it headed?
Click on Reports for more.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) estimated at US$3 Billion in the year 2020, is projected to reach a revised size of US$4.1 Billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 4.7% over the analysis period 2020-2027.
Click on Reports for more on this

8A big tender is out for supply of ethanol
8Interested bidders can apply
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8The active cosmetics ingredient market is forecast to reach $9.9-bn by 2025
8A report estimates the global market for aroma chemicals in 2020 to be around $5-bn and expected it to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% to $6-bn by 2025
Find  out more

Despite what is believed, the petrochemical industry in the Gulf region may be on the decline.
And there are many reasons for this
Find out why

The Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) has put on hold a planned specialty petrochemicals plant for producing polyols at its Kochi refinery in Kerala.
This is being done as BPCL prefers to wait for the outcome of the privatization process currently underway before proceeding on the Rs 11,130 crore project.

Maritime classification society the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has classed a Suezmax tanker as ammonia-ready, the first ship to receive this categorization.
The tanker, ordered by Greek shipowner Avin International, is the first of three potential ammonia-powered vessels under construction at New Times Shipbuilding in China.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) plan for a 70pc reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 compared with 2008 levels.
And ammonia-ready ships are part of this effort.

As of January 20th, 2021, our sources have confirmed that Propylene glycol prices have slipped in the Kandla market.

Prices for MEG have been revised by Aegis.

A revision in DEG prices has been announced at Dahej.

A revision in benzene prices has been announced at Vizag.

Our analysts after talking to various market executives have given the price predictions for HDPE, LLDPE, LDPE and PVC.

Fresh Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Offers In India.

What is the latest on the Nayara refinery-cum-petrochemical project?
8There was a flurry of activity, and it is a little quiet now
Find out what is next

IOCL sources its crude cargoes for Paradip refinery from across the world.
Our forward-looking crude tracker shows that crude being delivered to the refinery consists of the following places
8Agbami
8Zirku Island
8Labuan terminal
8Ras Tanura
8Jebel Dhanna
8Aegina
8Turkey
8Basrah
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Tata Projects had bagged two sets of projects of consequence in the oil & gas downstream industry.
8In one, it has failed.
8In the other, it is lucky to have a solid manager which will beat it into shape.
8Eventually, quite by default, the company has learned how to survive in this business segment.

Read to know more

The focus on nitrogen emission is not dying down anytime soon.
8At 300 times the potency of carbon dioxide, and persisting for 100 years in the atmosphere, this gas has a profound shaping effect on climate change.
8What are the ways in which we can bring down these emission levels?
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A new airport is coming up in Delhi
8And it looks like the ATF supply there will be one company's monopoly
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