North American shale gas deposits shift the feedstock balance / Second cheapest route to ethylene / Asian naphtha base too costly? / Large gas deposits in France and Poland / Public sentiment sours on fracking

摘要

Hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking", a method of tapping global shale deposits to win gas for petrochemical production, has been under intense negative scrutiny not least since the release of the US documentary film "Gasland" last year. Environmental impact aside, fracking stands to bring about a significant shift of the state of play in the global polyolefins market, as well as for ethylene dioxide used in PVC. It will also have a substantial influence on prices.