Friday, April 25, 2025

Chemical News

State planner: China will continue to build coal plants until 2027.

According to guidelines released by the government on Monday for upgrading the coal power grid, China will continue to build coal-fired plants in areas where they are required to meet peak demand or stabilize the grid.

Bloomberg News reports that Abu Dhabi's ADNOC is considering a bid for Aethon US natgas assets.

Bloomberg News, citing sources familiar with the situation, reported Friday that Abu Dhabi's state oil company ADNOC was considering a bid to acquire natural gas assets from investment firm Aethon Energy Management, which could be worth up to $9 billion.

SLB and ChampionX may accept the remedial measures proposed by UK watchdog

The British competition regulator announced on Thursday that it may accept the measures proposed by the oilfield services company SLB and its smaller rival ChampionX in order to address concerns about antitrust regarding the two companies’ proposed $8 billion merger.

Europe struggles to compete with China in rare earths

A consultant stated on Tuesday that Europe is likely to be able only to produce a small amount of the rare earths needed for electric vehicles and turbines in 2030. This is mainly because China, as a dominant producer, will offer cheap prices.

Stocks of tech and bank companies plummet as China's retaliation fuels fears of a wider trade war

U.S. tech giants, banks, and oil majors all fell on Friday, after China responded to Trump's new tariffs by imposing steep duties. This heightened fears of an economic recession around the world. China has imposed additional duties of 34 percent on U.S.

Trump tariffs are set to worsen the woes in the petchems industry

Industry officials and analysts warned that the new U.S. import duties will further reduce demand for global producers of petrochemicals and increase capacity cuts in a sector plagued with low margins. The tariffs announced…

Shell increases shareholder distributions and cuts spending

Shell raised its shareholder distribution policy to 40-50% from 30-40% on Tuesday, focusing on share buybacks. It also lowered its outlook for spending to $20-$22 billion through 2028. The world's largest LNG trader has…

Sinopec's net profit for 2024 plunges 16.8% because of falling oil prices

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, also known as Sinopec reported a 16.8% drop in net profit for 2024 on Sunday. The company cited lower crude oil prices, and the accelerated growth of the new energy vehicles (NEV) sector.

Vopak will invest an additional 1 billion Euros in industrial and gas terminals before 2030

Vopak, the Dutch tank storage company, doubled its investment goal for expanding its industrial and gas footprint. The company has committed another 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) to it until 2030. Vopak, a company that…

Ukraine's gas imports are still low despite Russian attacks on gas production

The operator of the state-run transmission system for gas reported that despite the massive Russian missile strike on Ukrainian gas production over night, Ukrainian gas imports remained relatively low on Friday. Naftogaz…

India reviews tariff surcharges on luxury goods, renewables and chemicals amid US pressure

India will review the import tariffs for over 30 items, including luxury cars and photovoltaic cells. This could lead to a rise in imports from America, according to a senior official at the finance ministry. To counteract…

Russians warned not to panic about a 'gas cloud" in a city near a plant that was struck by Ukraine

The Governor of Russia's Astrakhan Region told its residents to not panic after the main city was covered in a natural gas cloud on Wednesday. Its main city is located near a large gas chemical complex which was attacked this week by Ukrainian drones.

Samsung E&A awarded a $1.7 billion contract by TA'ZIZ for the UAE's first methanol facility

Abu Dhabi's TA'ZIZ announced on Monday that it had awarded a $1.7billion contract to Samsung E&A for the construction of the UAE's 1st methanol facility. The plant is expected to produce 1.8m tons of methanol annually upon completion in 2028.

Shell warns about weaker LNG and oil sales in the fourth quarter

Shell cut its forecast for liquefied gas production in the fourth quarter of the year on Wednesday. It also said that oil and gas trading is expected to be lower than the results from the previous three-month period.

Sekisui Chem will begin mass production perovskite cells in 2027

Sekisui Chemical, a Japanese company, announced on Thursday its intention to mass produce next-generation Perovskite Solar Cells (PSCs) by 2027. Scientists consider PSCs to be an alternative low-cost option to silicon cells.

Arcius Energy, a joint venture between BP and ADNOC’s XRG, will supply Egypt's gas.

BP and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s international investment arm XRG announced on Monday that they had closed a deal to create a natural gas joint-venture in Egypt. ADNOC is expanding its efforts abroad. Arcius Energy is a joint venture owned by BP (51%)…

ADNOC, the state oil company of UAE, has established an international investment arm XRG

ADNOC, the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates, announced on Wednesday that it had launched XRG. This investment firm focuses on low-carbon energy sources and chemicals. It is valued at over $80 billion.

SQM's net profits drop due to lower lithium prices

SQM, world's second largest lithium producer, reported on Wednesday a 73% decline in its third-quarter profit, as increased sales volumes did not offset a sharp drop in prices due to an oversupply. The lithium mining…

German chemical lobby VCI reduces its 2024 forecast amid political turmoil

The German chemicals industry association VCI lowered their annual forecasts on Wednesday, citing the economic stagnation in Germany and political turmoil. The association, which represents 1,900 companies within Germany's third largest industrial sector…

Occidental Petroleum exceeds profit expectations for the third quarter on higher production

Occidental Petroleum, a U.S. oil-and-gas firm, beat Wall Street expectations for the third quarter profit on Tuesday. However, overall earnings dropped 14% due to losses on asset sales and a decline in chemical results.

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