Cabot invests US$30 million in carbon black unit

Cabot invests US$30 million in carbon black unit

July 2000 BRITISH ENERGY WINS DEAL FOR POWER PLANT Nuclear generator British Energy plc is set to complete a deal worth up to US$1 billion to run Can...

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July 2000

BRITISH ENERGY WINS DEAL FOR POWER PLANT Nuclear generator British Energy plc is set to complete a deal worth up to US$1 billion to run Canada's largest nuclear power plant. British Energy and a consortium of Canadian investors had won the race to lease and operate the Bruce station in the province of Ontario for up to 20 years. The 6000 MW Bruce nuclear power complex has eight reactors in two units. Under terms of the deal with Ontario Power Generation Inc, British Energy is expected to pay US$200 million t\)r the site and make further stage payments in future years. But all or ahnost all of Bruce's liabilities are expected to remain with the Canadian authorities. It is the first nuclear plant to be sold or leased by Ontario Power Generation, which is a spin-off of the Canadian province's public electrical utility, Ontario Hydro.

CHEMICALS CIBA SPECIALTY CHEMICALS COMPLETES EXPANSION Ciba Specialty Chemicals has completed its expansion programme and opened its new state-of-the-art quinacridone pigments plant in Newport, Delaware, USA. The company has invested USA$180 million at Ciba's Newport site over the past eight years, building a new DPP pigments plant that opened in 1997, the new quinacridone pigments plant opening today and completing several environmental projects. "Ciba's new state-of-the-art pigments facility in Newport,

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Delaware demonstrates our commitment to the industry and to our customers," said Stan Sherman, chief executive officer of Ciba Specialty Chemicals (North America). "This opening also reflects our Iong-tema commitment to the community and to the town of Newport.'" Commenting on the opening, Philip King, vice president of Business Operations and plant manager of the Newport site said, "The quinacridone facility that we are opening today is the capstone of our modernization efforts at Newport. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for our Colors business and are proud of our newly integrated, state-of-the-art pigments facility."

CABOT INVESTS US$30 MILLION IN CARBON BLACK UNIT Cabot Brasil, a subsidiary of Cabot Corp plans to construct a US$30 million state-of-the-art carbon black unit at its plant in Maua, Brazil. The new unit is in the final design stage and start-up is scheduled for early 2002. This will become Cabot's third carbon black unit in Brazil and will add approximately 40 000 metric tonnes/year to the existing capacity in Brazil and Argentina. Cabot is the world's largest producer of carbon black, a raw material used in the production of tires, rubber products, paints, inks and plastics. William Noglows, Cabot's executive vice president and general manager of its Carbon Black business said, "South America is an increasingly important part of our strategy to remain the global leader in the carbon black mdustry. This new unit will allow us to meet future needs for standard and

higher-value carbon blacks in Latin America."

PETROCHEMICALS BP AMOCO TO DEVELOP GAS PROJECTS IN EGYPT British oil giant BP Amoco has agreed to develop two gas projects on Egypt's Mediterranean coast, one for domestic consumption and another for export. According to BP Amoco the plan is to build a worldscale NGL (natural gas liquids) plant to quickly supply the grow.ing liquefied petroleum gas delnand in Egypt. A two-train LNG (liquefied natural gas) plant will be built to process and ship LNG to Mediterranean and other markets," the statement said. Delivery from the NGL plant would begin in early 2003 and shipments from the plant would start in 2004, it said, without saying how much the prqjects would cost. The agreement confirms the commitment of the government to pursue exports for Egyptian natural gas, reduce liquefied petroleum gas imports and produce important NGLs. Early NGL production will accelerate the growth of BP Amoco's petrochemicals industry. Such giant gas projects will generate an additional stream of revenues for Egypt as well as creating significant new employment opportunities. BP Amoco, which produces oil and gas in the Gulf of Suez and Western Desert and of produces gas in north Egypt, signed an agreement with EGPC in April to construct a new NGL plant in the Gulf of Suez, operational in October 2001.

MALYASIA SPENDS MILLIONS TO BE REGIONAL PETROCHEMICAL HUB State oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has spent around US$950 million to help turn Malaysia into a regional petrochemical hub. Cash-rich Petronas is leading government efforts to boost the country's petrochemical industry, centered on the east coast of Malaysia, and is investing heavily on infrastructure development in a bid to woo l\~reign investors. Work is currently under way to develop common industrial infrastructure and thcilities linking integrated petrochemical complexes in Kertih in Terengganu state and Gebeng in Pahang state, said Pctronas. Kerlih focuses on ethylene-based projects while Gebeng has been cannarked tbr propylenc-based projects. To date about Rt3.6 billion has been committed by Petronas for the development of these common inflastructure t:acilities. Tile state oil firm's petrochemical infrastructure developmenl projects include building central utilities and tankages, ports and other marine facilities, a railway linking Kertih and Gcbeng and increasing water supply. Malaysia's petrochemicals industry has been the country's second largest m ternls of investments alter the electrical and electronics sector, says the Malaysian Industrial Developmerit Authority (MIDA). Capital investment in the petrochemicals sector totaled Rt22.6 billion from 1995 to 1999, with 59% coming from foreign sources.

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