Record LPG exports to Asia from USA undercutting weak naphtha margins

Asian petrochemical makers will use almost twice as much liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in June as in the previous two months, undercutting already weak margins being earned on traditional chemical feedstock naphtha, trade sources said in Reuters. U.S. exports of LPG to Asia are peaking to their highest rates ever this year and exacerbating the usual seasonal May-July pick-up in use of the fuel in cracking plants. This will put more short-term pressure on naphtha cracks, or profits earned from making the light fuel, which have weakened as refiners ramped up processing rates because of cheap crude. For June, at least 300,000 tons of LPG are expected to replace naphtha in Asian crackers, up from under 200,000 and 150,000 tons respectively in May and April, traders said. If substitution climbs to 400,000 tons in July, that would match a monthly record touched in June 2014, based on traders' estimates. There is no official data tracking the use of LPG as a chemical feedstock. The weak cracks will in turn drag on overall refining margins DUB-SIN-REF, which had previously been supported as strong demand for gasoline and naphtha offset poor markets for other fuels. "U.S. LPG exports this month are high. Propane will certainly stay in the cracking pool this summer," said one Singapore-based source who trades naphtha. "LPG used (in crackers) in July could go over 350,000 tons. It could even reach 400,000 tons." Asian naphtha cracks for May 3-23 averaged US$56.4/ton, the lowest for the same period since 2009. Still, petrochemical plants will likely return to using mostly naphtha from August. LPG is mainly an alternative that becomes attractive when it is not needed for winter heating demand or other industrial uses. Asian petrochemical makers usually replace up to 15% of their naphtha with LPG when LPG prices are about 92-93% of naphtha price. "Higher global LPG availability in 2015, on the back of strong supply growth, has certainly filtered through to flows to Asia in the short-term," said David Wech, managing director of consultancy firm JBC Energy. He added that a relatively greater potential for a cold winter could lead to stronger demand and higher prices for LPG as early as August. Demand for LPG as a feed for refining units that produce propylene, a precursor to plastics, could also mop up the extra supplies and push prices up. U.S. LPG exports to Asia this year are expected to hit a record of 300,000 bpd - nearly 800,000 tons a month - data from JBC Energy showed.