Recent developments
Refining upgrades
INA completed the Rijeka Refinery Upgrade Project, adding delayed coking, lifting capacity to 4 Mt/y, raising diesel yield, and reducing VGO imports. KT-Kinetics Technology executed EPC. For reformer reliability, Evonik introduced the Chlorocel 909 chloride adsorbent to extend guard-bed cycles.
Polymers and intermediates
Polypropylene Random Copolymer production started at Rompetrol after unit modifications, targeting 11 kt/y for automotive and food uses. BASF introduced reduced product carbon footprint (rPCF) variants of BDO, THF, PolyTHF, and NMP from Ludwigshafen, enabling Scope 3 reductions without formulation changes.
Upstream supply
Equinor reported discoveries in the North Sea at Troll and Sleipner, leveraging existing infrastructure for export. Aramco maintained high cash flow and guided $50–55bn 2026 capex while increasing sales gas production capacity toward 2030, with Jafurah and Tanajib ramping.
Crude logistics
MOL Group and JANAF began a 10‑month series of capacity tests on the Adria pipeline to test throughput and port logistics. MOL and Slovnaft filed a complaint against JANAF for monopoly abuse tied to access, pricing, and acceptance of unsanctioned Russian crude during Druzhba disruptions.
New project awards
A Chinese consortium won a butadiene project in Kazakhstan covering licensing, design, procurement, and construction to strengthen C4 chains. NEXTCHEM secured a €485 million contract in West Africa spanning hydrogen, ammonia, urea, and methanol, including a 0.9/0.6 Mt/y ammonia–methanol unit.
Emissions and restructuring
China advanced methane accounting with a new national greenhouse gas emission factor database supported by Sinopec, improving quantification at oil and gas facilities. Elkem announced a post‑divestment restructuring with three divisions and NOK 1.9bn targeted cost reductions amid weak demand and lower EBITDA.