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Korea’s naphtha may fall as Russia resumes its imports, increasing local competitiveness

Korea’s naphtha may fall as Russia resumes its imports, increasing local competitiveness

Mar 13, 2025

Im Securities predicted on the 13th, that if sanctions against Russia were eased and the war between Russia-Ukraine ended, the cost-competitiveness of domestic naphtha cracked center (NCC), corporations would improve. The reason is that Russian naphtha can be reused. LG CHEM, LOTTE Chemical, Kumho Petrochemical, and Korea Petrochemical Ind. NCC relies on 70-80% imports of naphtha for its operations. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021, Russian naphtha represented 23% of total imports, which was the highest share. After the war broke out and sanctions were intensified against Russia, naphtha imports from Qatar, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Algeria increased. In the past year, naphtha imports from five Middle Eastern nations exceeded 60%. The price of Middle Eastern naphtha is higher than that of Russian naphtha. Jeon Yujin, a...

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