Settlements

Royal DSM NV will sell its fertilizer and melamine businesses to Egypt’s Orascom Construction Industries for $418 million. The fertilizer businss makes high-nitrogen fertilizers for agricultural crops. Melamine is used in laminates used on furniture and flooring. DSM said the disposal is part of its strategy to focus on health-related products.

Plant Opening

Eastman Chemical has opened a new plant in Ulsan, South Korea to produce acetate tow, a material used in cigarette filters. The plant is owned by Eastman Fibers Korea Limited, a joint venture between Eastman and SK Chemicals Co. Eastman controls the venture and will operate the plant, which has 27,000 metric tons of capacity.

Plant Sale

Equipolymers has signed a definitive agreement to sell its pure terephthalic acid (PTA) and polyethylene terephthalate resins (PET) production facilities at its manufacturing site in Ottana, Italy to a joint venture between Ottana Energia and Indorama. Equipolymers will continue to run its manufacturing facility in Schkopau, Germany.

Ethylene Cracker

Shell has successfully started up the ethylene cracker at its Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex project in Singapore. The cracker will produce on-specification ethylene. It has a capacity of 800,000 tons of ethylene/year as well as 450,000 tons of propylene and 230,000 tons of benzene.

Revitalization

The second phase of revitalization of Indonesia’s fertilizer industry will need an additional investment of $4.52 billion according to an official of the industry ministry. The second phase of the program includes building five new urea fertilizer plants and the development of infrastructure in gas-producing areas. Potential locations for the new fertilizer plants include Donggi-Senoro, Tangguh and Masela.

Polypropylene Plant

Hyundai expects to hand over a polypropylene plant in the central Quang Ngai Province of Vietnam to PetroVietnam by the end of May. The plant has an annual capacity of 150,000 tons. Construction of the factory started in December 2007.

Biofuel Project