Page 18 - Plastcs News January 2019

CompAny news

Reliance Industries in talks with LANXESS to strengthen its

Saudi Arabia for new refinery global production network for
project flame retardant

he world's largest oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, and richest ANXESS, specialty chemicals company engaged with
TIndian Mukesh Ambani-run Reliance Industries are Lthe development, manufacturing, and marketing of
discussing joint investment in petrochemicals and refinery chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals
projects according to a report. Where the Saudi Oil Minister and plastics plans to enhance its global asset base for
Khalid al-Falih was quoted Al-Falih, who has known Ambani flame retardant additives with investments of around
EUR 200 million in the next three years.The company has
plants in the U.S. (Charleston, El Dorado, Greensboro),
Germany (Leverkusen, Krefeld-Uerdingen), France
(Épierre) and the United Kingdom (Manchester) as a
strongly backward integrated production network for
bromine and phosphorous based flame retardants.
Karsten Job, head of the Polymer Additives Business
at LANXESS, said, “With the acquisition of the U.S.
company Chemtura in spring 2017 we became one of the
world’s leading suppliers of flame retardant additives.
With the investment package we will further strengthen
our strong position in this growing market.” LANXESS,
having integrated the former Chemtura businesses
with brominated flame retardant additives, bromine
and bromine derivatives, has significantly expanded
for over a decade now, travelled to Udaipur earlier this its market position for flame retardant additives.
month to attend the pre-wedding festivities of Ambani's These substances are highly effective for use in the
daughter Isha's marriage with Ajay Piramal's son Anand. construction industry and complemented for the already
Al-Falih said he was delighted to meet Ambani. existing LANXESS business with phosphorus-based
At the meeting "we discussed opportunities for joint
investments and cooperation in petrochemical, refining and
communications projects." Reliance operates two refineries
at Jamnagar with a total capacity of 68.2 million tonnes
per annum. Reliance plans to expand its only-for-exports
SEZ refining capacity to just over 41 million tonnes from
current 35.2 million tonnes but does not have any plans to
set up a new refinery in the country. Reliance is presently
focused on expanding petrochemical and telecom business,
industry sources said. Crude oil is the basic raw material flame retardant additives. LANXESS is running two
for the manufacturing of petrochemicals. Saudi Arabia, technical development centers for these products in
Naugatuck/USA and Leverkusen/Germany. Job, added,
on the other hand, is keen to get a foothold in the world's “Out of Leverkusen and Naugatuck, we are driving
fastest-growing fuel market so as to get a captive customer global innovations like reactive and polymeric flame
for crude oil it produces. Saudi Aramco, the world's biggest retardants.” There is the continuous growing demand for
oil company, and its partner Abu Dabhi National Oil Co reactive and polymeric flame retardants, like LANXESS’s
(ADNOC) have picked up 50 per cent stake in a planned Emerald Innovation 3000 as they have a much better
USD 44-billion refinery in Maharashtra. sustainability profile than standard flame retardants.

Plastics News Januar y 2019 18