Industry News
Chemical Industry News
AFPM ’26: US polyurethane stuck between higher costs, flat demand
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US polyurethane (PU) markets are contending with increasing upward pressure on prices for toluene diisocyanate (TDI), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) and a variety of polyether...
Middle East crisis may accelerate chemical plant closures – Deloitte
NEW YORK (ICIS)--The Iran war and Middle East crisis could put additional pressure on high-cost chemical plants in Europe and Asia to permanently shut down, helping alleviate global overcapacity, a...
INSIGHT: Nations more willing to pay for energy security amid wars
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Recent wars involving the world's largest energy producers have shown nations are more willing to pay a premium for energy security at the expense of efficiency, a development that...
European chemical trade group Cefic joins call for scale-up of biomethane
LONDON (ICIS)--European chemical industry trade group Cefic has joined 10 other European industrial groups in a call for scaling up the production and use of biomethane. Biomethane stood out at a...
European refinery solvents continue to climb in tight market
LONDON (ICIS)--European average truck prices were higher for all three solvents this week. However, some sources suggested that buyers had started to step back from the market given the higher...
US BD April contract nominations emerge sharply higher
HOUSTON (ICIS)--Nominations for US butadiene (BD) April contracts have emerged at significant increases from March as the Middle East conflict disrupts global feedstocks and supply. US BD contracts...
China’s LPG imports from US plunge in Jan–Feb on trade tensions and tariff changes
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s LPG imports from the US fell sharply by 68.4% year on year in January–February 2026, following the escalation of US-China trade tensions in April 2025 and subsequent...
AFPM ’26: US EG prices facing upward pressure on tighter supply, higher feedstock prices due to US-Iran conflict
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US ethylene glycols (EG) spot prices continue to face upward pressure because of surging Asia spot prices due to tighter supply and higher feedstock prices as a result of the conflict...
N America chemical rail traffic rises for seventh week, Canada up 14.2%
HOUSTON (ICIS)--North American chemical railcar traffic rose by 8.4% year on year, to 52,631 loadings for the week ended 21 March, marking a seventh consecutive increase, according to freight rail...
Europe MEK prices soar on supply shortages
LONDON (ICIS)--European spot prices for methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) have surged further on very tight supply and upstream volatility. MEK pricing was assessed at €2,200-2,550/tonne FD (free...
HYDROGEN: France gains EU approval for €797 million hydrogen support scheme
LONDON (ICIS)--On 23 March, the European Commission approved France’s state-aid scheme to support renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production, whereby the French government intends to launch the...
Europe technical IPA prices rise further on upstream volatility
LONDON (ICIS)--European spot prices for technical grade isopropanol (IPA) have firmed further on upstream pressure. Technical grade pricing stands at €1,200-1,350/tonne FD (free delivered) NWE...
Germany to tender additional 12GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030 in response to Middle East conflict
Germany aims to tender an additional 12GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030 Industry groups welcomed the announcement, emphasizing tenders need to be issued by 2027 to ensure additional capacity is...
US Gulf bunker fuel supply could tighten amid outage at Valero Port Arthur refinery
HOUSTON (ICIS)--The outage at Valero’s Port Arthur refinery in Texas from a fire on Monday, which closed part of the facility, could tighten bunker fuel supply in the US Gulf, according to trade...
German chemical industry agrees 27-month collective wage deal
LONDON (ICIS)--Germany’s chemical labor union IGBCE and employers trade group BAVC on Wednesday announced a new 27-month collective bargaining deal for the 585,000 workers in the country’s...
rPET demand surges due to Middle East crisis, PET price rises
LONDON (ICIS)--Recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) players are trying to prepare for April price discussions but anticipating what happens next poses a challenge as uncertain and volatile...
Germany competitiveness risks rise on Iran war – VCI
LONDON (ICIS)--The impacts of the US-Israel-Iran war are showing up in Asia-to-Europe supply chain disruption and could further weaken the competitiveness of German industry, the country’s chemical...
Plant status: Sweden’s Perstorp to undergo maintenance at oxo‑alcohols and plasticizers units
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Perstorp Location: Stenungsund, Sweden Product: 2-ehythlhexanol (2-EH), di-propyl heptyl phthalate (DPHP) Capacity (tonnes/year): 2-EH (160,000),...
Poland adopts new rules to boost nuclear development
Polish government adopts amendments to boost nuclear energy investments and speed up construction of plants Pivot to nuclear energy comes as Poland aims to reduce coal dependence, decarbonize the...
AFPM ’26: US phenol/acetone grappling with feedstock and demand volatility
HOUSTON (ICIS)--US phenol and acetone are grappling with higher feedstock costs and uncertain demand growth heading into this year’s International Petrochemical Conference (IPC)....