March 30 COVID-19 Impact Report: Outages, Derates, Shutdowns and More

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info's daily COVID-19 Impact Report gives you the latest inside intelligence on outages, derates, shutdowns, closures, delays and more caused by the pandemic, across the global energy and industrial landscape.

Petroleum Refining Highlights
In California, PBF has reduced operating rates by 30% at both its 155,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) Torrance refinery and 155,000-BBL/d Martinez refinery due to a drop in fuel demand caused by the pandemic.

In Canada, SilverRange Financial Partners LLC has shut down operations at its 115,000-BBL/d North Atlantic Refinery in Come By Chance, Newfoundland.

In China, PetroChina Yunnan Petrochemical Company has been ramping up the run rate at the 260,000-BBL/d Kunming Anning China Refinery since March 25. The refinery was forced to curtail production by 32% due to the COVID-19 outbreak starting on March 1. The refinery is expected to resume normal throughput by April 15.

Power Highlights
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) expects another tight summer for electricity in the Lone Star State, but believes it has enough generating resources to meet this summer's peak load. However, COVID-19 and the sharp drop in oil prices could throw a wild card into the mix.

Petrochemical Highlights
Dow Chemical begins production of hand sanitizer products at sites in Stade, Germany; Auburn, Michigan; South Charleston, West Virginia; Seneffe, Belgium; and Hortolandia, Brazil. These products will be provided to hospitals and critical infrastructure groups at no cost for at least a four-week period.

As the COVID-19 crisis picks up in the U.S., several petrochemical producers are considering running shifts of essential personnel 24/7, and ordering lock-ins to avoid as much exposure and contact with potential contamination threats as possible.

India's leading paint manufacturer, Asian Paints Limited, has temporarily shut down all its nine manufacturing plants due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown.

As a result of the government-enforced, three-week lockdown in response to COVID-19, many chemical plants in South Africa are running with a limited workforce, resulting in production slowdowns.

Oil & Gas Terminals Highlights
Crude oil supplies are about to test the limits of global storage capacity. Falling demand for oil, due to COVID-19, as well the collapse of a production agreement between OPEC and Russia, has caused a surplus of oil that needs a place to be stored.

Food & Beverage Highlights
Grain markets are moving higher, building on last week's recoveries in soybeans and wheat, with speculation that global buyers will boost purchases to increase food security reserves.

The Olymel slaughterhouse and cutting plant in Yamachiche, Quebec, has been forced to temporarily close its doors after nine of its employees tested positive for COVID-19. The plant employs 1,000 workers and plans to resume operations after 14 days.

Industrial Manufacturing Highlights
Ford and GM have announced they will build 50,000 simplified ventilators over the next 100 days at a plant in Michigan. They will then be capable of producing 30,000 ventilators per month after that initial production period.

Companies are developing strategies for workers at "essential" manufacturing plants in order to safely operate. Workers may have to have their temperature taken on arrival while the companies themselves provide wipes, disinfectant, masks and gloves to all workers. Workers will be required to disinfect their workstations at the end of every shift.

Cree Incorporated's $1 billion grassroot silicon carbide wafer fabrication project in New York may be placed on hold due to COVID-19 concerns.

Most major U.S. automakers (GM and Ford) are planning for an April 14 restart of their assembly plants. However, this is now more of a soft target, with some manufacturers leaning to April 20 (Toyota) while Honda and Nissan remain optimistic about restarting production on April 7. This situation is extremely fluid and can change daily.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.