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Inside Nippon Steel’s Kashima plant: Do you want to know a secret?
“No photos!” a pouncing PR person tut-tutted. Yoko was more amused than bemused as she holstered her smartphone once more. Colleague Yoko Manabe and I were part of a Japanese media group touring the...
View ArticleRecovery of US coal industry is more than a fairytale
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock — perhaps buried by mountainous utility stockpiles — you’ve probably heard the US thermal coal market is struggling. Demand is down. Production has plummeted....
View ArticlePlatts Crude Oil Summit: Debunking the myths
In Monty Python’s Holy Grail King Arthur tells the black knight that he has no arms left, to which the knight replies: “It’s just a flesh wound.” This was how Standard Chartered’s Paul Horsnell...
View ArticleChinese steelmaking quandary: nothing exceeds like excess
Is it “Look before you leap,” or “He who hesitates is lost”? Is it “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” or “Out of sight, out of mind”? Is it “A penny saved is a penny earned” or “You can’t take it...
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Latin America grapples with lack of petrochemical investment
Not far from the Port of Coatzacoalcos in Mexico, a sprawling new petrochemical complex owned by Braskem-Idesa has risen from the ground, poised to help the country minimize its ballooning polyethylene...
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US methanol projects find economics changed on oil, gas prices
Over the past five years, interest in US methanol production has exploded. There has been the reopening of mothballed plants, relocation of southern-hemisphere plants and billion dollar investments in...
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Brexit implications on the cost of UK polymer imports
The British pound’s sharp slide to 31-year lows versus the US dollar in the volatile aftermath of last month’s Brexit vote could potentially hike the United Kingdom’s polymer import costs by $100...
View ArticleNot mine: Consol Energy puts a wrap on CAPP coal business
One of the pioneering and largest Central Appalachian coal producers has closed shop, essentially completing its years-long transformation from coal miner into an E&P company focused on the...
View ArticleAmazon vs Maersk: The clash of titans shaking the container industry
Approximately 90% of the world’s trade travels by sea and one would expect the industry’s supply chain to be the height of modernity by adopting disruptive technology and strategies. However, this...
View ArticleCrude storage costs fall as WTI curve flattens: In the LOOP
The price of front-month sour crude oil storage at the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port fell 5 cents/b month on month even as imports to the US Gulf Coast increased over the same period to pre-Harvey...
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