CORRECTING and REPLACING Loss of Half of U.S. Production of Key Chemical Copolymers from Hurricane Harvey Impacts Plastics Production Worldwide, IHS Markit Says

Linear alpha olefins essential to PE production; loss impacts other major plastics producers

Total LAO Capacities, United States. Source: IHS Markit

CORRECTION...by IHS Markit

HOUSTON--()--Please replace the release with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.

The corrected release reads:

LOSS OF HALF OF U.S. PRODUCTION OF KEY CHEMICAL COPOLYMERS FROM HURRICANE HARVEY IMPACTS PLASTICS PRODUCTION WORLDWIDE, IHS MARKIT SAYS

Linear alpha olefins essential to PE production; loss impacts other major plastics producers

In late August, Hurricane Harvey’s flooding rains shut down more than 50 percent of the U.S. production and nearly one quarter of global production of linear alpha olefins (LAOs), a group of chemicals essential to the production of most polyethylene (PE), according to analysis from IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information.

Polyethylene is the world’s most-used plastic. PE is essential for the production of numerous materials ranging from film for packaging and grocery bags, to detergent bottles and pipe for construction. As a result, numerous major chemical producers that rely on the Houston-area LAO co-monomer (butene, hexene and octene) production are scrambling to secure supply, and impacts will be felt down the supply chain, IHS Markit said.

“During the recent hurricane that hit Texas, one of the world’s largest facilities for LAO production was flooded and its production of linear alpha olefins was shut down completely,” said Mark Wegenka, director of chemical consulting for IHS Markit. “As a result, half of U.S. LAO co-monomer production and a sixth of total global LAO production is offline and will be for weeks to come, which is creating a serious supply chain challenge for numerous other major chemical producers that are dependent upon this source for LAOs. Current U.S. LAO production exceeds 90 percent capacity and capacity utilization outside the U.S. is much the same, which means there is very little spare capacity in the market, so the impacts are going to be significant.”

Rather than playing a lead role on the chemical stage, linear alpha olefins have long been accustomed to serving as best supporting actor, Wegenka said, but now these critical components to the polyethylene production process are getting much more attention. “For many PE producers, this issue is now taking center stage in terms of priority. Securing adequate supply to meet rapidly expanding polyethylene production was already an issue for chemical producers, and now the situation is even more challenging,” Wegenka said. “LAO production was already lagging in some segments.”

To address this specialized chemical market, Wegenka, as well as Mark Morgan, Ph.D., and Andrea Borruso, both directors of chemical consulting at IHS Markit, wrote the IHS Markit Light Linear Alpha Olefins Market Study. The report provides supply/demand balances for the LAO products and applications for the 2015 through 2025 period, with a geographic breakdown by region.

According to the report, the global market for linear alpha olefins exceeded 5 million metric tons (MMT) at the end of 2016. The lower-range products (C4-C6-C8—carbon bonds) that form the basis for this project, account for around 70 percent of the total LAO demand today, IHS Markit said.

“Growth in the linear alpha olefins market overall suggests the potential for three to four large-scale, full-range LAO investments during the medium term, not including the current INEOS and Shell projects in North America,” Borruso said. “Margins and pricing supports reinvestment, and demand growth overall is ahead of average GDP. However, on-purpose LAO technology will be vital in meeting the polyethylene co-monomer supply gap that will continue to grow, given the divergence in growth rate between polyethylene co-monomers, poly alpha olefins, and more specialty polymer applications.”

Further on-purpose technology may decouple the supply of lower alpha olefins from the higher C10+ supply, reducing the traditional volatility and swings of the market due to the start of broad-range units, Borruso said. “However, the short-term impact of the hurricane, together with the delay in the startup of some broad-range units in the U.S., has and will create a ripple effect on the C8, as well as C6 supply of linear alpha olefins,” Borruso said. “Given the inertia of response within the global supply system, this may create a short-term economic effect on allocation and prices relative to C4 cuts.”

As 2017 comes to a close, current global demand for PE is just under 95 million metric tons (MMT), but according to the IHS Markit report entitled IHS Chemical: 2018 Polyethylene World Analysis, PE demand growth will increase 22 MMT by 2022, to 118 MMT. That translates to an average annual growth rate of 4.3 percent or 1.4 times GDP during 2017 to 2022, according to IHS Markit.

“The global polyethylene market is experiencing very strong growth and that’s for good reason, since, in terms of global plastic demand, there is nothing bigger than PE when it comes to packaging materials,” said Joel Morales, senior director, polyolefins Americas at IHS Markit, and one of the authors of the PE report. “PE is a very versatile, durable material—it is the workhorse of the plastics industry, and the world’s largest-volume plastic.”

PE is the material of choice, Morales said, for both food and consumer packaging around the world, and as more and more people see incomes rising globally, they become consumers of more goods that are made of plastic or wrapped in plastic film. Film and sheet applications, which is key to the packaging sector, is the most important plastics use segment globally, according to the IHS Markit report, representing more than 60 percent of plastics demand.

“A shortage in LAOs to produce PE is likely to lead to price increases for the short-term, which will impact not only the PE producers, but also others down the supply chain, including manufacturers of the plastics packaging, films and bottles, for example,” Morales said. “These plastics enable foods, detergents, and other goods to be delivered safely and conveniently to consumers. Ultimately, the consumer may see a slight increase in prices for some goods, due to this LAO shortage, but often, it is the PE manufacturers that are going to absorb much of this increased cost.”

Other market impacts are likely to be felt in the construction, automotive and electronics industries, in particular, IHS Markit said, since they depend heavily upon PE for plastics components for their products.

The North America ethylene-cost advantage will remain a key driver in interregional LAO price differentials, with prices linked to ethylene, IHS Markit said. Inter-regional trade flows are likely to remain a key factor in determining inter-regional pricing and arbitrage opportunities, and as a result, North America and the Middle East will remain major exporters of lower-range LAOs.

“Iran and China remain two of the potential game changers in the LAO chemical sector,” Borruso said. “The slow reemergence of Iran as a contributor to the global chemical market implies that the nation could revisit its original LAO and downstream projects as part of reinvigorating the masterplan for its petrochemicals industry. The rising demand for LAOs across many carbon numbers, including the mid-range, could, in time, lead to local Iranian investment.”

A full-range LAO project possibly could be built in the Asia-Pacific region, provided a competitive source of ethylene can be secured as well as a commercially reliable technology identified, IHS Markit said.

The challenges of LAO supply for PE production, as well as the overall plastics market, will be key points of discussion at the Global Plastics Summit, October 11-13, 2017, in Chicago. The agenda and more information about the event, which is presented by IHS Markit and the Plastics Industry Trade Association (PLASTICS), is available at https://globalplasticssummit.com/.

To speak with Mark Wegenka, Andrea Borruso or Joel Morales, please contact Melissa Manning at melissa.manning@ihsmarkit.com. For more information on the IHS Markit Light Linear Alpha Olefins Market Study, or the IHS Markit report entitled IHS Chemical: 2018 Polyethylene World Analysis, please contact stacy-ann.wilson@ihsmarkit.com.

About IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)

IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.

IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd and/or its affiliates. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2017 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contacts

IHS Markit
Melissa Manning, +1 713-906-2901
melissa.manning@ihsmarkit.com
or
Press Team
+1 303-305-8021
press@ihs.com
Follow @IHS_News

Release Summary

Loss of Half of U.S. Production of Key Chemical Copolymers from Hurricane Harvey Impacts Plastics Production Worldwide, IHS Markit Says

Contacts

IHS Markit
Melissa Manning, +1 713-906-2901
melissa.manning@ihsmarkit.com
or
Press Team
+1 303-305-8021
press@ihs.com
Follow @IHS_News