|
|
Prepared on request to provide some indicative
perceptions of directions. These are again only opinions and not advice.
We are always happy to receive information to improve these pages.
Many activities we previously described as having poor prospects have ceased this decade. These include the production of oxo alcohols, phthalic anhydride and phthalate esters by ICI Chemicals Rhodes, polypropylene by ICI (now Orica) and styrene by Dow Chemical and vinyl chloride monomer and specialty chemicals by ICI (now Orica).
This table is a quick overview with more supporting information elsewhere including the performance section.
Similar tables will be prepared to describe:
 | opportunities for manufacture in Australia. Most notable is the Pilbara Petrochemical Project - an integrated chloralkali polyolefin project. |
| company performance and outlook such as the outstanding growth of Coogee Chemicals, Wesfarmers CSBP and Millennium Inorganic Chemicals. |
| Outlook | Products | Company | Export | Comments |
| Strong | Titanium dioxide | Tiwest
Millennium Inorganic Chemicals |
Strong export potential | Access to quality and readily accessible minerals |
| Ammonium nitrate | Incitec
Wesfarmers, |
Limited - freight and small-scale ammonia manufacture | Supplying resource development with freight advantage | |
| Ammonium phosphate | Western Mining Corporation | Very good | Accessible raw materials (phosphate rock and sulfur dioxide). | |
| Synthetic Rutile | RGC
Westralian Sands Tiwest, |
Excellent | ||
| Sulfuric acid | Metal smelters eg. WMC, MIM | Negligible | Pollution control driven. | |
| Alumina | Alcoa
Worsley Nabalco Comalco |
Strong | Access to quality raw materials. | |
| Good | Sodium cyanide | AGR
Ticor Orica |
Limited | Limited comparative advantage. Very sensitive to price of gold. |
| Ammonia | Incitec
Wesfarmers |
Negligible | Limited scale of production. | |
| Average | Sodium carbonate | Penrice Soda Products | Good | Access to competitive salt and gas |
| Polyolefins | Orica (LLDPE) | Limited | Limited scale ut competitive feedstocks | |
| Kemcor (HDPE) | Limited | Limited scale but competitive feedstocks | ||
| Basell Australia (polypropylene) | Good | Propylene from refining operations | ||
| Silicon | Simcoa | Strong | Energy-intensive. Sale at discount enabled continued operation | |
| Zirconium chemicals | Hanwha Advanced Ceramics | Limited | Production for local market using imported raw material. Would be helped by a local ceramics industry. | |
| Below average | Polystyrene (styrene chemicals) | Huntsman Chemicals | Poor | Reliant on imported benzene. Smal scale polymer. Assistance sensitive (tariffs and a/d) |
| Phenol | Huntsman Chemicals | Average | Tariff legacy activity. | |
| PVC | Australian Vinyls Corporation | Opportunistic | No comparative advantage, imports VCM; import tariff and anti-dumping legislation sensitive. | |
| Synthetic rubbers | Kemcor | Limited | Small scale of manufacture. Tied with polypropylene via gas oil unit | |
| Fatty acids | Symex Holdings | Negligible | Reliant on imported raw materials; limited comparative advantage. |
|
|