News and industry insights on Commodity chemicals, such as acids, alkalis, and salts, used as building blocks in various industries.
Project activity accelerated across ammonia–urea value chains: Algeria’s Integrated Phosphate Project awarded EPCs, spanning extraction to sulfuric/phosphoric acid, ammonia and urea (Integrated Phosphate Project). MAIRE/Tecnimont won a €1.3bn EPC for a 2.1 Mt/yr urea complex in Argentina. Yara moved to lower production costs via the Gulf Coast Ammonia acquisition, while Topsoe will supply dynamic ammonia synthesis technology for a Texas green project.
Large feedstock and aromatics capacity progressed: INEOS Project ONE cracker modules reached Antwerp after Strait of Hormuz delays. Fluor was selected for FEED on the GPIC aromatics facility (PX/benzene). MAIRE’s Tecnimont will deliver ADNOC’s Ruwais NGL expansion. Market signals included Dow Q2 2026 results citing tighter O&P balances and an EMEAI cracker restart.
Supply resilience and decarbonisation advanced: Coogee will add a chlorine drumming facility at Lytton to diversify Australian supply. Ercros secured financing to decarbonise the Tarragona Industrial Complex (electric boiler, biomass, WHR, H₂ optimisation). The Evonik‑licensed Leshan H₂O₂ megaplant (200 kt/y) started up, and Air Liquide H1 2026 showed continued investment in industrial gases infrastructure.
Chemical recycling and CO₂ management gained traction: Eastman’s Kingsport methanolysis facility highlighted large‑scale PET depolymerisation. BioBTX reached FID for the PETRA circular aromatics plant. Aurora financed the restart of the Empyro plant in Hengelo. Gasunie outlined the Netherlands’ role as Europe’s CO₂ hub via Porthos/Aramis transport‑storage networks supporting hard‑to‑abate clusters.
Producers navigated cost inflation and logistics volatility: BASF reported stronger Q2 results with restructuring progress; LyondellBasell Q2 2026 earnings reflected O&P margin recovery in the Americas; Arkema Q2 2026 results improved despite raw‑material spikes; SABIC Q2 2026 earnings declined amid portfolio moves; Brenntag raised guidance; and Ercros approved delisting as integration with Bondalti advanced.
Regional product routing improved as ORLEN opened a Marine Transshipment Terminal in Gdańsk for base oils, MGO and aromatics, reducing reliance on external ports and road/rail, and supporting flexible exports and biofuel imports.
A map of Basic Chemicals projects that are planned or currently being executed.
chemXplore tracks 382 projects in basic chemicals, of which 126 have not started up yet.
83 new construction, 29 expansion, 11 revamp / retrofit, and 3 conversion / repurposing.
Expected start-ups per year; 33 of the live projects carry no start-up date yet.
Owners and developers: BASF SE (5), Air Liquide SA (4), Covestro (3), INEOS NV (3), POSCO (3), Aurubis (2)
Investors: European Investment Bank (3), Trafigura (3), Air Liquide SA (2), Coogee (2), Eni S.p.A. (2), European Innovation Fund (2)
Contractors, licensors, and offtakers are recorded on 90 of these 126 projects For subscribers
Targeting: Hydrogen (15), Ammonia (13), Carbon dioxide (10), Copper (9), Ethylene (6), Lithium Carbonate (6)
