Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Eurozone, UK private sector activity closes out 2025 on growth footing
LONDON (ICIS)--Private sector momentum in the eurozone and the UK remained in growth territory in December, despite a weaker manufacturing sector performance in the currency bloc. The eurozone...
PODCAST: Middle East chemicals look beyond 2030 for new growth
BARCELONA (ICIS)--With the prospect of global overcapacity easing from around 2030, Middle East petrochemical players are debating how to monetise their plentiful natural gas supplies. Middle East...
Europe MMA prices stable despite better-than-expected December
LONDON (ICIS)--The Europe methyl methacrylate (MMA) market prices remained stable in the week ending 12 December, as activity is starting to slow ahead of the year-end. This came despite December...
China’s Shanghai SECCO cuts ACN weekly price
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical has cut its acrylonitrile (ACN) weekly price to yuan (CNY) 8,100/tonne ex-tank, down by CNY150/tonne from the previous week, a company source...
Germany’s economic outlook improves in December with positive signs for chems
LONDON (ICIS)--Germany’s economic outlook improved in December with positive indicators for the chemicals, pharmaceutical and metals sectors, research group ZEW said on Tuesday. “Expectations...
Europe butac prices soften on weak seasonal demand, ample supply
LONDON (ICIS)--European butyl acetate (butac) spot prices fell in the week ending 12 December, pressured by subdued consumption due to economic and seasonal factors, while supply remained plentiful....
Insulating window material prevents heat loss while allowing more light through than glass
Easy to make polymer could be used for energy efficient buildings
Europe etac spot prices ease amid seasonally weak demand and competitive imports
LONDON (ICIS)--European ethyl acetate (etac) spot prices declined during the week ending 12 December, with softening observed at both ends of the range. The decrease was driven by sluggish year-end...
ICIS TTF Early Day assessments: 16 December 2025
- Planned and unplanned maintenance will not impact capacity on 16 December. Ekofisk gas asset faces field unavailability, impacting 6.9 mcm/day of production. It is expecting to resume operations...
Local approvals nudge Japan nuclear revival, may trim near-term LNG imports
Niigata, Hokkaido approvals accelerate Japan’s nuclear restart momentum New reactor restarts could trim Japan’s LNG import needs Nuclear share to rise as Japan targets lower fuel imports...
Plant status: Saudi Arabia’s SHARQ to restart No 3 MEG unit soon
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: SHARQ Location: Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 500,000 Event start: End June 2025 Event...
French gas exports to Spain expected to continue in January PRISMA bookings show
Shippers booked over 2mcm/day of capacity for supplies to Spain through the VIP PIRINEOS over January Around 13mcm/day capacity was booked at Mazzara del Vallo for Algerian flows, biggest auction...
Plant status: Japan’s ENEOS eyes March 2026 MEK plant turnaround
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: ENEOS Corp Location: Kawasaki, Japan Product: Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) Capacity (tonnes/year): 100,000 Event start: March 2026 Event finish:...
Plant status: Japan’s Maruzen eyes February 2026 MEK plant turnaround
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Maruzen Petrochemical Location: Chiba, Japan Product: Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) Capacity (tonnes/year): 170,000 Event start: February 2026 Event...
India’s Reliance H2 Dec MEG contract nomination down by $5/tonne
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--India’s Reliance Industries announced its nomination for the second half of December monoethylene glycol (MEG) contract price at $455/tonne, a company source said. The price is on...
Japan Dec flash manufacturing PMI rises to 49.7 amid firmer demand
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Japan’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 49.7 in December from 48.7 in November as demand improved, flash estimates from a private sector survey showed on...
Plant status: Saudi Arabia’s SHARQ shuts No 2 MEG unit on poor margins
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: SHARQ Location: Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia Product: Monoethylene glycol (MEG) Capacity (tonnes/year): 450,000 (No 2) Event start: H1 December 2025...
Plant status: Celanese restarts Nanjing acetic acid plant in China
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Celanese Location: Nanjing, Jiangsu, China Product: Acetic acid Capacity (tonnes/year): 1.2 million Event start: 28 November 2025 Event finish:...
INSIGHT: Global EPDM consumption to keep growing 2026-2030, but at a slower pace
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Global ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) demand is expected to increase during 2026-2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 2.8% according to ICIS supply and...
Plant status: China’s Qingdao Haiwan cuts ECH run rate to 50%
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Qingdao Haiwan Group Location: Qingdao, Shandong, China Product: Epichlorohydrin (ECH) Capacity (tonnes/year): 75,000 + 75,000 Event start: Late...