Industry News
Chemical Industry News
ICIS EXPLAINS: EU sanctions of Russian LNG imports muddle phase-out picture
EU proposal to sanction Russian LNG earlier than planned risks higher prices and tighter supply Competing sanctions and legislative phase-out plans creates uncertainty Phase-out negotiations likely...
Thailand’s August base oils output recovers
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Thailand’s base oils output recovered to more typical levels in August following the completion of maintenance work on a key Group I base oils plant. Base oils output of 55,000...
China base oils output unusually high for second month in September
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s base oils output remained unusually high for a second month in September, at a time of year when lube consumption typically sees a seasonal boost. Total paraffinic base...
INSIGHT: Europe chemicals face bleak future without pivot in energy policy
MADRID (ICIS)-– Peter Huntsman, chairman and chief executive of Huntsman Corporation, has warned that Europe faces “a self-imposed, almost suicidal form of de-industrialisation” as high energy...
Neste starts up pilot electrolyzer at Rotterdam renewable fuels refinery
LONDON (ICIS)--Neste has started up a pilot electrolyzer at its Rotterdam renewable fuels refinery in the Netherlands. The project aims to demonstrate the viability of renewable hydrogen in the...
Hungarian-German November ’25 power spread could further widen – traders
The Hungarian power November ’25 premium over Germany rose to €22.575/MWh on 6 October – widest since ICIS began assessing the spread Planned power plant outages in CEE, cold temperatures, and...
German manufacturing orders continue to shrink in August, chemicals rise 0.4%
LONDON (ICIS)--New orders in Germany’s manufacturing sector fell 0.8% in August, from July, marking a fourth consecutive month of decline, according to statistical data released on Tuesday....
Europe MPG demand forecasts mixed for October
LONDON (ICIS)--Consumption for monopropylene glycol (MPG) in Europe during September was considered to be good, but forecasts are mixed for October. August HCOB Eurozone Construction PMI increases...
Plant status: Spolchemie’s Czech Republic ECH turnaround comes to an end
LONDON (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Spolchemie Location: Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic Product: Epichlorohydrin (ECH) Capacity (tonnes/year): 36,000 Event start: 26 September Event...
German caustic soda ECU contract margins rise in week ending 3 October, ECU values increase
LONDON (ICIS)--Average German membrane electrochemical unit (ECU) contract margins rose in the week ended 3 October. The ECU value rose, with chlorine higher. Average energy prices increased compared...
PODCAST: Europe needs radical rethink of energy, climate policy to prosper – Peter Huntsman
MADRID (ICIS)--Political leaders in Europe must boost availability of cheap energy and deregulate or risk deeper deindustrialization, according to Peter Huntsman, CEO of Huntsman. AI will require...
Robert Huber: ‘I call the last century the century of vision’
The Nobel laureate on the joys of entering a developing field, and the century of vision
Keeping tabs on contamination
Argentina’s contaminated fentanyl tragedy highlights challenges of generic drug supply
PODCAST: Weak fundamentals to extend softness in Europe PA, plasticizers markets into 2026
LONDON (ICIS)--European phthalic anhydride (PA) reporter Gabrielle Jordan and plasticizers reporter Marion Boakye discuss market developments into Q4, highlighting key talking points from the...
BASF announces mechanical completion of Zhanjiang cracker and petchem plants
LONDON (ICIS)--BASF on Tuesday announced that it has reached mechanical completion of the steam cracker and all downstream petrochemical plants at its Zhanjiang Verbund site in China. The site is on...
IPEX: Weak demand and ample supply continue to push index down across all regions in September
LONDON (ICIS)--The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) for September dropped month on month across all regions, not least the US Gulf and northeast Asia, driven by persistently weak downstream demand for...
Drei Quantenforscher teilen sich Physik-Nobelpreis 2025
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 to John Clarke (University of California, Berkeley, USA), Michel H. Devoret (Yale University, New Haven, CT and University of California, Santa
Macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling wins Nobel prize in physics
John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis honoured for their observations of quantum effects in a superconducting electric circuit
Asia nylon prices under pressure on upstream erosion, soft restocking expected
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Nylon chip prices in Asia faced downward pressure as weak fundamentals persisted during the Golden Week in China, although limited activity stalled price movements and stabilized...
Why we should stop venerating Nobel laureates
The winners of the Nobel prize in chemistry have all made mistakes – and that’s inspirational