Industry News
Chemical Industry News
Plant status: China’s Tongling Jintai Chemical shuts propylene glycol unit
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--Here is a plant status report: Name: Tongling Jintai Chemical Location: Tongling, China Product: Propylene glycol Capacity (tonnes/year): 100,000 Event start: 3 February Event...
WEEKLY POWER OUTLOOK: Very low wind output through start of week 7 likely to boost German power spot prices
By Anna Coulson and Gemma Blundell-Doyle LONDON (ICIS)–Very low wind power production through the start of week 7 is likely to be a bullish driver for German power spot prices. WEATHER OUTLOOK The...
PODCAST: Light at the end of the tunnel for economy, but Europe chemicals still in crisis
BARCELONA (ICIS)--Improving sentiment in manufacturing, especially in the US, raises hopes of a turning point – but industry needs strong action to save it, especially in Europe. Big jump in US...
Short term outlook firm for urea despite medium term headwinds
LONDON (ICIS)--The outlook for urea’s price direction remains upward in the short term, even after the recent unprecedented price surge driven by expectations that India may soon issue an import...
GAS ALERT: Deutsche ReGas extends Mukran LNG terminal outage to 7 February
FRANKFURT (ICIS)--Deutsche ReGas has extended the period of sharply reduced entry capacity at Germany’s Mukran LNG terminal until 7 February citing adverse weather conditions, according to a GIE...
GAS ALERT: Romania’s BRM exchange slightly delays new gas contract offerings
LONDON (ICIS)-- Romanian exchange BRM has slightly delayed the implementation of its new gas contract offerings until 13 February, ICIS understands. BRM announced in late January that it would...
WEEKLY GAS OUTLOOK: TTF backwardation to support continued European withdrawals in week 7
LONDON (ICIS)-- Market narrative remains focused on US-Iran ahead of week 7 following reports of a US military build-up in the Middle East. Gas markets are sensitive to any escalation, largely due to...
China’s average PTA plants’ run rate increases on unit restart
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s purified terephthalic acid (PTA) plants have posted a higher average operating rate, driven by the restart of Sichuan Shengda. In the week ended 6 February, the plants’...
China’s average PX plants’ run rate stable despite unit restart
SINGAPORE (ICIS)--China’s para-xylene (PX) plants have posted an unchanged average operating rate of 87% during the week ended 6 February. This stabilization came because Sinochem Quanzhou...
Indian ammonia interest emerges as Middle East deals done, supply tight west of Suez
LONDON (ICIS)--Some ammonia demand has emerged in India this week, with two cargoes agreed from the Middle East amid tight availability. India agrees spot Middle East cargoes European demand to...
EU provisional antidumping duties on BDO from China, Saudi Arabia and the US enter into force
LONDON (ICIS)--The provisional antidumping duties (ADDs) on butanediol (BDO) imports from China, Saudi Arabia and the US have entered into force from 6 February 2026, according to the Implementing...
INSIGHT: US invests big in Lat Am rare earths to challenge Asian suppliers
SAO PAULO (ICIS)--When US officials gathered in Washington this week to talk critical minerals, the tone was unusually blunt – lithium, copper, nickel and rare earths could hardly be framed anymore...
Opaque UK funding changes herald cuts to facilities and research programmes paused
Projects face withdrawals and delays as UKRI prioritises economic growth and applied research over curiosity-driven areas
Covid pandemic’s disruption of industrial activity drove surge in methane in early 2020s
Levels of methane-degrading radicals decreased as a knock-on effect of the pandemic
Endress+Hauser acquires particle analysis specialist
Endress+Hauser has further expanded its portfolio of measurement instruments, solutions and services for process analysis. It has acquired SOPAT, a Germany-based specialist in inline process measurement technology, retaining the company’s staff in Berlin and Chemnitz. SOPAT and its subsidiary Pars...
Festo takes over Gummiwarenfabrik R. Neddermann GmbH
With the acquisition of Gummiwarenfabrik R. Neddermann GmbH in Altbach (Esslingen district) on January 1, 2026, Festo is consolidating its competitive position in pneumatics. Gummiwarenfabrik R. Neddermann GmbH is a leading specialist in the development,
Batteries from rust?
Conventional lithium-ion batteries contain problematic substances such as nickel and cobalt, and the solvents used to coat the electrode materials are also toxic. Materials scientists at Saarland University are therefore working to develop environmentally friendly
No need for rare earths or liquid helium! Cryogenic cooling material composed solely of abundant elements
In collaboration with the National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Oshima College, the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) succeeded in developing a new regenerator material composed solely of abundant elements, such as copper, iron, and
US January auto sales plunge amid bad weather, affordability issues, low consumer confidence
HOUSTON (ICIS)--January sales of new light vehicles plunged from December amid weather disruptions, persistent affordability issues and low consumer confidence. January sales fell to a...
Canada scraps EV mandate, reinstates purchase incentives
TORONTO (ICIS)--Canada’s federal government is repealing the country’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate while reinstating EV purchasing incentives, it said on Thursday. The so-called “Electric...