Chinese chemical industry news

• 

  6 May 2026

  CATL and HyperStrong sign 60GWh sodium‑ion energy‑storage supply pact

  Three-year sodium‑ion energy-storage deal to industrialize mass production: higher energy density, manufacturing fixes for consistent output, improved safety, and Li‑ion form‑factor compatibility
• 

  4 May 2026

  DOMO Engineered Materials acquired by Lone Star Funds; TECHNYL® included

  Fund affiliate buys engineered materials unit: three EU plants, global subsidiaries, IP/brand, sales, application center and masterbatch ops; Belle Étoile excluded; leadership continuity planned.
• 

  1 May 2026

  Petrobras starts Búzios 8 (P-79) production

  Brought online three months early, FPSO adds 180,000 bpd and 7.2M m³/d compression, raising field capacity to ~1.33M bpd; 14 wells planned and up to 3M m³/d gas export.
• 

  30 April 2026

  Sinopec launches Fenghuo industrial AI agent

  Introduces 'Fenghuo' industrial AI agent: a production-capable digital colleague that analyzes data, runs engineering simulations, invokes toolchains, and executes long multi-step tasks autonomously.
• 

  30 April 2026

  Umicore Q1 momentum points to ~€1bn adjusted EBITDA in 2026

  Strong Q1: Catalysis and Recycling strong; Specialty led by cobalt; CAM volumes modest, take‑or‑pay compensation; anode JV in place; capex up; leverage <2x
• 

  30 April 2026

  BASF Q1 2026: resilient performance

  Solid volume growth offset currency headwinds; EBITDA before special items €2.4bn (vs €2.5bn). Sales slightly down; free cash flow -€1.375bn. Dividend €2.25; outlook unchanged.

• 

  30 April 2026

  Eli Lilly Q1 2026: Revenue up 56%, raises full‑year guidance

  EPS jumped ~170% reported (~156% non‑GAAP); volume growth offset lower realized prices; FDA approved oral GLP‑1 Foundayo; positive Phase‑3 readouts; four acquisitions announced
• 

  29 April 2026

  SABIC Q1 2026 results

  Q1: adjusted EBITDA +25% to SAR4.15bn; revenue -6% to SAR26.15bn; adjusted net income SAR816m; realized $220m recurring EBITDA savings; divestments announced; urea capacity could rise 54%
• 

  29 April 2026

  Evonik opens PEEK magnet‑wire lab in China

  China lab develops PEEK rectangular magnet-wire for NEV motors: extrusion/coating, dimensional checks and reliability tests (BDV, PDIV, corona, oil-aging) to accelerate product development.
• 

  29 April 2026

  GSK Q1 2026 — Specialty Medicines Drive Growth

  Q1 sales £7.6bn (+5% CER); Specialty Medicines £3.2bn (+14%). Core operating profit +10%, Core EPS +9%. Strong cash generation; 17p Q1 dividend. 2026 guidance and >£40bn 2031 target reaffirmed.
• 

  29 April 2026

  MAIRE Q1 2026: Revenues & EBITDA up; 2026 guidance confirmed

  Q1: Net income €76.7m (+19.9%); adjusted net cash €396.1m; order intake €4.78bn; backlog €15.73bn; Nextchem revenue +46%; record dividend €0.585/share
• 

  29 April 2026

  BASF’s industrial Cathedral and the ground it stands on

  Integrated site captured synergies for decades—cutting costs, funding R&D—but gas-price shock in 2022 exposed systemic risk; response: restructure Ludwigshafen and expand production abroad.
• 

  29 April 2026

  UPM Q1 2026: Strong start led by decarbonization solutions

  Q1 sales €2,505m; comparable EBIT €274m (-5%); operating cash flow €89m; net debt €2,962m. Energy and biofuels strong. H1 comparable EBIT guidance €325–525m.
• 

  29 April 2026

  FUCHS starts 2026 strongly amid volatile markets

  Q1 sales +1% to €934m; record EBIT €125m; EPS €0.68 (+15%). FY EBIT target €450m confirmed; sales guidance above €3.7bn. Raw‑material and supply risks weigh on cash flow.
• 

  28 April 2026

  Sinopec RIPP’s Sinoketol wins Gold at Geneva Invention Exhibition

  New cyclohexanone route via cyclohexene esterification–hydrogenation: >99.95% single‑pass conversion, >8× equilibrium, −14% activation energy; waste −70%, CO₂ −38%; first commercial 2×200k t/yr unit
• 

  28 April 2026

  GSK: FDA grants priority review and Breakthrough Therapy for bepirovirsen

  Phase III B-Well trials showed significantly higher functional cure rates and acceptable safety in chronic hepatitis B; drug is an antisense oligonucleotide; PDUFA date 26 Oct 2026
• 

  28 April 2026

  PPG Q1 2026 results

  Q1 net sales $3.93B (+7%), organic +1% on price. Adjusted EPS $1.83 (+6%). Segment margin 16%, EBITDA margin 19%. ~$100M buybacks. Reaffirms FY EPS $7.70–8.10.
• 

  28 April 2026

  UPM joint venture with Sappi enters EU Phase II merger review

  EC opened Phase II on 28 Apr 2026. The proposed graphic-paper JV needs approvals in other jurisdictions; parties are cooperating and say the deal strengthens European supply resilience.
• 

  28 April 2026

  BASF commissions world-scale menthol and linalool plants in Ludwigshafen and citral plant in Zhanjiang

  Commercial production began April 2026; Ludwigshafen expansion leverages Verbund efficiencies, Zhanjiang citral boosts supply reliability and downstream feedstock; ~60 jobs.
• 

  28 April 2026

  MAIRE's Nextchem awarded NX CONSER C5+ license and process design for TMA plant in China

  Licensed process design and technical services for a continuous Trimellitic Anhydride (TMA) plant in China, cuts power, steam and water use; two-phase rollout, optional proprietary equipment.
• 

  28 April 2026

  Evonik opens Asia PAthletic Center for sports polyamide innovation

  Offers R&D, ISO/ASTM testing, pilot processing, 3D samples and application support for long‑chain polyamides (PEBAs) to accelerate sports and consumer product commercialization
• 

  28 April 2026

  Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide achieves 16.6% weight loss in Phase III obesity trial

  Trial met co-primary endpoints; 85.1% achieved ≥5% weight loss vs 38.8% placebo; weight loss mainly fat with reduced waist circumference; GI events were mild–moderate; MASH trials ongoing
• 

  28 April 2026

  MAIRE’s Nextchem wins TMA licensing, process design and technical services contract in China with NX CONSER C5+

  Continuous TMA production tech delivers power, steam and water savings. TMA feeds PVC plasticizers, coatings and polyester resins. Project in two phases with optional proprietary equipment supply.
• 

  28 April 2026

  Clariant launches CATOFIN 1000 PDH catalyst

  New PDH catalyst improves selectivity and productivity vs 310 series, extends lifetime, cuts tar precursors up to 20% to reduce fouling and works with CLARITY monitoring
• 

  28 April 2026

  Sinopec's 12 Innovation Studios Join Petrochemical Industry Innovation Alliance

  Company held an alliance exchange; emphasizes employee innovation studios - issued guidance, runs reviews; has 31 national and 182 group-level studios and will transfer innovations into production.
• 

  28 April 2026

  Sinopec Deploys DeepSeek‑V4 Privately

  DeepSeek‑V4 preview (1.6T params) was open‑sourced. The Flash model rivals top closed‑source systems in reasoning, is tuned for domestic chips, and was integrated into the group's AI platform.
• 

  27 April 2026

  Johnson Matthey chosen by Liquid Sunshine for Guangxi biomethanol plant

  Planned biomethanol plant will use biomass gasification to produce 75,000 t/yr in phase 1; phase 2 could convert CO2 + electrolytic H2 to e‑methanol for e‑fuels, aiding marine decarbonisation.
• 

  27 April 2026

  China-Korea Petrochemical completes Wuhan 10,000-ton intelligent floating terminal

  Two berths (5,000t & 10,000t) with IoT monitoring, environmental controls and emergency response improve logistics, safety and emissions control for petrochemical shipments on the Yangtze.
• 

  27 April 2026

  Sinopec Debuts New Materials at China Plastics & Rubber Expo

  At the Shanghai expo, the exhibitor presented five themed zones, 25 sub-industry solutions, 150+ new polymer materials and an online e-trade zone, and signed a strategic packaging collaboration
• 

  24 April 2026

  TotalEnergies greenlights Mirny 1 GW wind and 600 MWh BESS in Kazakhstan

  FID taken and financing secured for Kazakhstan wind+BESS project; $1.2B investment (75% external). 25‑yr PPA; ~100 TWh over 25 yrs to power ~1M people. Partners: 60/20/20; Saft supplies BESS.