Commodity chemicals, such as acids, alkalis, and salts, used as building blocks in various industries.
chemXplore tracks 383 projects in basic chemicals, of which 126 are active.
83 new construction, 29 expansion, 11 revamp / retrofit, and 3 conversion / repurposing.
33 of the active projects carry no start-up date yet.
Owners and developers: BASF SE (5), Air Liquide SA (4), Covestro (3), INEOS (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 (17), Ammonia (13), Carbon dioxide (10), Copper (9), Ethylene (6), Lithium Carbonate (6)
New 498 GT chemical tanker to transport and bunker methanol; initial bunkering used biomethanol from Niigata plant; methanol fuel cuts CO2 by ~17.5% vs heavy fuel oil.
Convert plastic waste into about 10,000 t/y of renewable aromatic oil and downstream benzene, phthalic anhydride and aromatics for circular supply chains; first plant operational early 2028.
€1bn Europe-wide auction for industrial process-heat decarbonisation; bidding opens early Dec 2026. Supports electrification, renewable heat and SMRs with a fixed premium per tCO2.
Third line comprises 2,300 t/d ammonia and 4,000 t/d single-line urea (ACES21™); built adjacent to existing Port Harcourt complex; awarded 2023, completed June 2026.
SMART‑N technology under an EPF contract with modular off‑site fabrication, 10–100% operating range with staged hydrogen rollout and downstream conversion to nitric acid and fertilizers.
New SMR hydrogen unit commissioned to supply the Jarrie site; €10m investment and first phase of a major plan through 2028 to optimise hydrogen flows and raw‑material supply.
Three world-scale acetyls units in Hull mothballed, threatening nearly 4,000 skilled jobs and eliminating Europe’s last large acetyls capacity amid extreme gas-price disparity.
Follows Norway's finding that domestic producers were under‑allocated versus EU peers; five plants to receive EU‑aligned allocations for 2026–2030.
KRW 480 billion investment for a 450,000 t/yr continuous galvanizing line at Gwangyang; EAF‑linked lower‑carbon, extra‑wide products and AI/robotics for quality and safety.
Plans target 20,000 t/yr hydrogen and ~60,000 t/yr graphite using methane decomposition; ties into MESH long‑duration storage to capture surplus wind power and cut emissions.
By country, the most active first. active / all projects
The 8 with the most active projects, of 49 countries.
