Industry News
Chemical Industry News
EPCA ’24: Europe aromatics markets eye 2026 demand recovery
LONDON (ICIS)--Aromatics market participants at this month's European Petrochemical Association gathering, the main annual event for the Europe chemicals industry, said a demand recovery was unlikely...
EPCA ’24: No short term demand recovery in sight for Europe capro, nylon 6
LONDON (ICIS)--Europe caprolactam (capro) and downstream nylon 6 markets face bleak outlook for demand in Q4 2024, followed by foggy but so far lacking optimism outlook for 2025. At the annual EPCA...
N America weekly chemical rail traffic falls 1.3%, Canada off 4.7%
HOUSTON (ICIS)--North American chemical rail traffic fell 1.3% year on year to 44,078 loadings for the week ended 12 October, led by a 4.7% decline in Canada, according to the latest freight rail...
European refinery solvents prices up amid volatile feedstocks
LONDON (ICIS)--European refinery solvents free delivered (FD) prices edged higher for white spirit, solvent naphtha (C9) and hexane this week. Prices were considered volatile, with numbers moving...
US-Canada PP production, sales down in September
HOUSTON (ICIS)--September preliminary sales and production data have been recently released by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) and Vault Consulting. Month-on-month percentage changes are shown...
FAKUMA ’24: Closure of Europe’s PE, PP plants may push distributors into spotlight
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (ICIS)--With further consolidation expected for Europe's ageing polyolefins infrastructure and outsourcing of production to cheaper regions, distributors may take on a growing...
FAKUMA ’24: EV tariff row eyed by Europe PP, PE players facing similar struggle
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN (ICIS)--Europe’s struggle to compete with cheaper imports is a big concern for Europe’s polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) markets, according to players on the sidelines of...
Canada chemical sales rise to C$5.6 billion in August
TORONTO (ICIS)--Canadian chemical sales were at Canadian dollar (C$) 5.6 billion (US$4.1 billion) in August – up 0.1% from July and up 2.8% year on year from August 2023, according to the latest...
Roehm targeting start-up of new US MMA plant in Dec 2024 – sources
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Roehm is targeting start-up of its new US methyl methacrylate (MMA) plant in Bay City, Texas, in December 2024, according to market sources. A company press release from 15 October...
Plant status: Polynt’s MA Ravenna slows production due to raw material curtailment
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Polynt Location: Ravenna, Italy Product: Maleic anhydride (MA) Capacity (tonnes/year): 66,000 Event start: 14 October Event finish: unknown Reason:...
German-French front month power spread could continue to tighten
The German-French front month spread narrowed to levels not seen since March 2024 Cooler temperatures, an end to border capacity cuts in France and a stronger German wind forecast could further...
ENTSOG recommends Ukrainian storage for winter supply flexibility
LONDON (ICIS)--The European Network of Transmission System Operators for gas (ENTSOG) has recommended the use of Ukrainian storage sites as a source of supply flexibility in the case of a cold winter...
Braskem Siam JV advances on ethanol-to-ethylene project in Thailand
LONDON (ICIS)--The Braskem Siam joint venture, formed last year, is advancing on its planned ethanol-to-ethylene project in Thailand. Work on the project’s front-end engineering design (FEED) is...
Europe oil majors agree supply deal for Nigeria petchems, ferts plant
LONDON (ICIS)--Nigeria’s state National Petroleum Company NNPC) has inked a gas supply deal with three Europe-headquartered oil and gas players for a multi-billion dollar planned petrochemicals and...
EPCA ’24: Europe ACN players anticipate flat demand into 2025
LONDON (ICIS)--Stable-to-low demand, the evolving global supply landscape and the increasing need for margin optimization were key themes outlined as key factors for 2025 by acrylonitrile (ACN)...
LanzaTech gets US award for CO2-to-chemicals project
HOUSTON (ICIS)--LanzaTech has been awarded US$3 million by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) to help advance a project that uses carbon...
Latin America August lube demand falls
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Latin America’s lube demand fell in August for the first time in three months amid sliding consumption in markets like Mexico and Argentina and waning demand growth in Brazil....
EPCA ’24: European PVC producers aim to improve margins, pessimism on demand recovery
LONDON (ICIS)--European polyvinyl chloride (PVC) contract discussions for October have centered on rollovers or double-digit increases as producers aim to shore up strained margins, according to...
EPCA ’24: Europe’s 2025 PX demand outlook bearish, further plant shutdowns unlikely
LONDON (ICIS)--Demand for paraxylene (PX) in Europe in 2025 is expected to remain stable to soft year-on-year due to the mothballing and permanent shutdown of some of the continent's most inefficient...
DATA WATCH: Overcapacity of chemicals impacting trade flows in 2024
LONDON (ICIS)--The rise of new chemical capacities around the world, particularly in China, is in stark contrast to general weak demand conditions across downstream sectors, and it shows no sign of...