Industry News
Chemical Industry News
China’s average run rate of PO plants rises to 68.8% on operational ramp-up
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s propylene oxide (PO) plants posted an average run rate at 68.8% in the week ended 7 November 2025, up by five percentage points from the last reporting period, ICIS data...
Geneticist James Watson who co-discovered the structure of DNA dies at 97
Famed for his work on DNA’s structure, but Watson courted controversy throughout his career
AI cut development time of antibiotic that spares gut-friendly bacteria by two years
Animal tests show promise to target invasive strain of E. coli but approval for use in humans is still years away
Nitrous oxide emissions accelerate as agriculture drives climate threat
With N2O emissions up 40% in four decades, scientists are searching for answers. Anthony King looks at potential solutions to keep fertiliser nitrogen in the soil
US-China port fees suspended for one year following trade negotiations
LONDON (ICIS)--The US and China have agreed to delay the implementation of port fees for one year, beginning 10 November, following an agreement made between President Trump and President Xi Jingping...
Europe MX price down on Eurobob fluctuations, spot premium range stable
LONDON (ICIS)--The European mixed xylenes (MX) spot premium range was again stable in the week ending 7 November. Market players noted that spot demand for MX was little changed in the week, ...
European MEG spot prices stable to soft as demand remains largely underwhelming
LONDON (ICIS)--European monoethylene glycol (MEG) spot prices were stable to soft in the week ending 7 November as demand conditions remained largely unchanged. 2025 remains a highly challenging year...
BLOG: Apple wins in smartphone markets as ‘affordable luxury’ disappears
LONDON (ICIS)--Click here to see the latest blog post on Chemicals & The Economy by Paul Hodges, which looks at how the highly-profitable middle market of ‘affordable luxury’ is disappearing....
Europe DEG, TEG spot prices soft on weak demand
LONDON (ICIS)--European diethylene glycol (DEG) spot prices were softer this week as pressure continues and demand remains weak. Truck spot prices were assessed at a €10/tonne decline on both ends...
Plant status: Thailand’s PTTGC shuts PO unit
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: PTT Global Chemical (PTTGC) Location: Rayong, Thailand Product: Propylene oxide (PO) Capacity (tonnes/year): 200,000 Event start: 15 October...
ICIS TTF Early Day assessments: 10 November 2025
- Saudi Arabian state-operated oil company Aramco decreased the official selling price for its crude oil targeting Asian markets. This is the first decrease since October, as global supply increases...
Asian PX flips into contango, weak prompt downstream fundamentals
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--The lack of support from the downstream purified terephthalic acid (PTA) market in China continues to weigh on the Asian paraxylene (PX) markets. Persistent uneconomical PTA...
Plant status: China’s Shenghong Refining & Chemical restarts VAM plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Shenghong Refining & Chemical Location: Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China Products: Vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) Capacity (tonnes/year): 300,000...
Beihai cargoes anchor southern China trucked LNG hub prices
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Arrivals from Arctic LNG 2 to China's Beihai terminal have dragged down southern China's trucked LNG prices since the first sanctioned vessel arrived on 28 August, reshaping...
INSIGHT: Asia BD tumbles on supply glut; near-term outlook grim
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Asia’s spot import prices for butadiene (BD) have sunk to their lowest in more than two years, as buying appetite diminishes in what end-users deemed as a severely oversupplied...
China’s Levima Gerun gets on-spec products from PPG plant
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s Levima Gerun Advanced Materials has achieved on-spec products from its new 240,000 tonne/year polyether polyols plant at Tengzhou in Shandong province, a source close to...
India PE sentiment remains subdued amid competitive domestic pricing and weak demand
MUMBAI (ICIS)--India’s polyethylene (PE) prices remained under pressure in the week ended 7 November 2025, as competitive pricing by domestic producers, including price cuts and additional...
India PP prices slump to fresh five-year lows amid weak demand and ample supply
MUMBAI (ICIS)--Polypropylene (PP) prices in India declined further in the week ended 7 November 2025, touching fresh five-year lows as oversupply and weak downstream demand continued to weigh on the...
S Korea’s Hanwha TotalEnergies begins 12-month carbon capture plant demo
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Hanwha TotalEnergies Petrochemical has begun demonstration operations of a first-of-its-kind carbon capture pilot facility to reduce carbon emissions and respond to climate change,...
The Next Battery Moment: Small, Sustainable, and Strategic
Swiss battery start-up BTRY AG has raised $5.7 million in an oversubscribed seed round. The funds will accelerate the industrialization of its ultra-thin solid-state batteries – a new category of energy storage combining fast charging, extreme