Industry News
Chemical Industry News
India’s June base oils imports fall
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--India’s base oils imports fell in June as shipments from the Middle East dipped to a two-year low. Lower imports coincided with ongoing domestic plant-maintenance work and lube...
Poland’s Orlen signs deal to build biomethane production unit; targets 240mcm/year use by 2035
Orlen and KGS sign deal to build biomethane production unit Companies plan to identify sites suitable for production of biomethane Orlen targets 240mcm/year consumption by 2035 LONDON (ICIS) –...
Plant status: France’s Le Havre restarts ammonia and urea production
Name: Le Havre Location: France Product: Ammonia and granular urea Capacity (tonnes/year): 400,000 (ammonia) and 300,000 (urea) Event start: 28 May Event finish: 14 July Reason: Scheduled shutdown...
Germany’s RED III implementation draft law could boost onshore wind power, pressure some far-curve contracts
German government has approved a draft law for the implementation of RED III which will enable the acceleration of onshore wind projects Market participants agree that once implemented, the measure...
Orlen decides not to acquire Azoty’s world-scale PDH-PP installation
LONDON (ICIS)--Orlen has informed fellow Polish state-owned company Grupa Azoty that it has opted against acquiring more shares in Grupa Azoty Polyolefins, the unit that stands behind an incomplete...
India June goods exports flat, trade deficit narrows to $18.8 billion
MUMBAI (ICIS)--India’s merchandise exports in June were almost static at $35.14 billion compared with $35.16 billion in June 2024, with the trade deficit for the month narrowing to $18.8 billion,...
INSIGHT: Egyptian LNG demand in question as vessels idle near terminals
By Clare Pennington and Lars Kjoellesdal Egyptian demand to stay high over summer but some 2025 winter cargoes could be cancelled or delayed to 2026 Egypt forecast to import 6.2 million tonnes of LNG...
ITOCHU signs contract to construct ammonia bunkering vessel
LONDON (ICIS)--ITOCHU Corporation has signed a contract for the construction of a 5,000m3 ammonia bunkering vessel with Sasaki Shipbuilding. The Japanese company also signed an agreement to construct...
German, Belgian TSOs commission three hydrogen-ready sections of the TENP gas pipeline
LONDON (ICIS)—On 11 July, German and Belgian gas transmission system operators (TSOs) OGE and Fluxys announced that the hydrogen-ready Trans-Europe Natural Gas Pipeline III (TENP III) had entered...
India’s RCF buys additional urea cargoes after extending acceptance deadline
LONDON (ICIS)--India's state-run Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) is understood to be on track to buy around 1.5 million tonnes of urea in its latest tender, for shipment by 22 August. RCF...
Higher CCGTs demand could support Spanish PVB Day-ahead, near-curve in rest of summer
PVB Day-ahead, near-curve contracts could be supported amid increased CCGTs usage in Spain for voltage control Spain’s combined-cycle generation higher than past five-year average Installation of...
Spain awards €372 million for domestic RFNBO hydrogen projects excluded from EU auction
LONDON (ICIS)--On 14 July, Spain’s Institute for the Diversification and Saving of Energy announced the allocation of €372 million in subsidies to support three renewable hydrogen projects that...
European naphtha market faces prolonged strain amid structural challenges
LONDON(ICIS)--European open-spec naphtha prices remained under pressure into mid-July as oversupply, weak demand and narrowing arbitrage options continued to dampen market sentiment. While select...
Germany adopts law to speed up renewable permitting for RED III
LONDON (ICIS)--On 11 July 2025, Germany’s Bundestag approved a draft law to accelerate renewable energy permits under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED III). The law raises Germany’s 2030...
Cracking under pressure
Basic chemical plant closures highlight strain on European industry
British gas hub to remain oversupplied in third-quarter 2025
LONDON (ICIS)--The British NBP gas hub will likely remain oversupplied in the third quarter, as domestic production and Norwegian pipeline imports, alongside some LNG regasification due to long-term...
National Science Foundation employees’ dissent declaration on ‘indefinite hold’
Document’s postponement follows recent suspension of staff at Environmental Protection Agency for releasing similar declaration
Unique Iron Age kohl from Iran differs from that of ancient Egypt
Eye makeup found to contain graphite and manganese but not organic ingredients
Organometallic compound found to break textbook principle
A ferrocene-derived complex is a further exception to the 18-electron rule
BASF Group releases preliminary figures for second quarter of 2025 and adjusts outlook for full-year 2025
BASF has released preliminary figures for the second quarter of 2025. Sales declined by 2.1% in the second quarter of 2025 to €15.77 billion (Q2 2024: €16.11 billion). This resulted from negative currency effects in all segments and