LyondellBasell Industries N.V. LYB recently announced that Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (“IOCL”) will employ its Spheripol technology for a new 450 KTA polypropylene plant that will be built in Panipat, Haryana State, India.
IOCL is currently operating polypropylene plants with total capacity of 1,300 KTA at the Panipat and Paradip sites in India. These facilities are based on LyondellBasell’s proprietary Spheripol technology. Additionally, Indian Oil is using LyondellBasell’s Hostalen technology to produce 300 KTA of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) product. Indian Oil aims to double the polypropylene production capacity over the next five years.
The Spheripol technology is the leading process technology for polypropylene. It has more than 27 million tons of licensed capacity. Spheripol’s latest fifth-generation technology includes process improvements that enhance operational efficiency. The plant will start operations using the Avant ZN catalyst.
By optionally joining the Technical Service program of LyondellBasell, new licensees can enjoy the benefits of its in-house expertise of catalyst know-how, ongoing production improvement and sustainable product development.
Other than the Spheripol process technology, LyondellBasell’s range of approved polyolefin processes and catalysts includes Hostalen, Spherizone, Lupotech, Spherilene, Metocene PP and Avant.
Shares of LyondellBasell have lost 23.3% in the past year compared with the industry’s 15.2% decline.
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
LyondellBasell currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space are Barrick Gold Corporation GOLD, Agnico Eagle Mines Limited AEM and AngloGold Ashanti Limited AU, all carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.
Barrick has an expected earnings growth rate of 54.9% for 2020. The company’s shares have surged 56.8% in the past year.
Agnico Eagle has an expected earnings growth rate of 53.6% for 2020. Its shares have returned 17.7% in the past year.
AngloGold has an expected earnings growth rate of 109.9% for 2020. The company’s shares have surged 55.3% in the past year.
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