Global bright stock markets are currently balanced, with the surplus in Western Europe and Latin America supplying the deficits in Asia Pacific and North America. But an industry consultant is predicting a bright stock deficit of as much as 22,000 barrels per day by 2020. Rising prices will drive incremental increases in supply, a reduction in demand, and a growing market for substitute products. Bright stocks – high-viscosity base oils refined from paraffinic crude – are widely used...

SK Corp. reportedly is ready to build its next base oil plant and this time is going to Indonesia to do so. Indonesian news agency Antara reported Nov. 30 that SK has entered an agreement to build a plant in cooperation with PT Pertamina, the archipelago-nations state-owned oil and gas company. The report said the plant will be located in Dumai, on the central northern coast of Sumatra, and that it will have capacity to make 350,000 metric tons of Group III oils per year (6,800 barrels per day)...

Chemtura Corp. last week announced an expansion at its Elmira, Ontario, plant that will increase its capacity to produce high-viscosity polyalphaolefins by 15 percent. The company did not disclose the cost of the project, which is scheduled to come online during the second quarter of 2006. In a Nov. 30 news release, officials said they undertook the expansion to meet growing market demand. Sold under the Synton brand name, Chemturas PAOs are sold for use as high-viscosity synthetic lubricants an...

The principal Greek shareholder in refiner Motor Oil (Hellas) S.A. has bought out its partner, a subsidiary of petroleum giant Saudi Aramco, the companies announced last week. Motor Oil Hellas is Greeces sole producer of base oils and finished lubricants. Aramco Overseas Co. has been a part-owner in Motor Oil Hellas since it purchased a 50-percent stake in the company in 1996. That position was reduced to 41.9 percent when Motor Oil Hellas conducted a public stock offering in 2001. Aramcos remai...