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Chemicals news
US Huntsman sees early signs of recovery in MDI
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Huntsman is seeing early signs of a possible recovery in the market for methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), the CEO of the US-based polyurethanes producer said on Tuesday. "I believe that we're seeing some early signs of recovery in pricing and margins return," said Peter Huntsman, CEO. He made his comments during an earnings conference call. "As we sit here today, it is fair to say that there are more positive than negative movement in the MDI industry." MDI was among the first major chemicals to experience declines in demand and margin, the consequence of a confluence of factors, according to Huntsman. Interest rates rose, which slowed down North American construction, an important end market for polyurethanes. In China the housing market collapsed, and Europe experienced industrial decline. At the same time, projects that were announced before the COVID-19 pandemic started coming online, which created excess capacity. What followed was what Huntsman has described as the worst destocking cycle ever. Destocking has finally ended, and Huntsman's volumes have increased during the past few quarters. In China, publicly reported prices for polymeric methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (PMDI) have reached three-year highs, he said. Moreover, those prices have been remarkably stable. China's recovery should continue through the decade and remain very gradual, he said. In the US, multiple companies have publicly announced price increases in multiple segments, Huntsman said. It is the first time that has happened in two years, and it is another sign that destocking has ended. Europe remains a struggle, and the region has yet to decide whether it will change energy policy or adopt protectionist measures, Huntsman said. Globally, utilization rates are likely in the upper 80% range, Huntsman said. Europe has the loosest market conditions and the US has the tightest. HUNTSMAN EXPECTS SLIGHTLY LOWER Q1 EARNINGSFor the first quarter, Huntsman expects adjusted earnings to decline slightly year on year, as shown in the following table. Figures are in millions of dollars, and they show adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA). $millions Q1 25 Q1 24 Polyurethanes 45-60 39 Performance Products 25-35 42 Advanced Materials 40-45 43 Corporate -40 -43 Total 70-100 81 Source: Huntsman Overall, Huntsman expects its maleic anhydride (MA) business to benefit from a recovery in the construction market. MA is used to make unsaturated polyester resin (UPR). Huntsman should receive an earnings boost from a polyurethane catalyst project, which is advancing towards completion, commissioning and commercialization. That project should contribute $5 million in EBITDA in the second half of 2025 and another $10 million in 2026. The company also completed an investment in a performance amines product line that serves the semiconductor market. It is now qualifying those products with its downstream electronic customers. The project should contribute $5 million to $7 million in EBITDA in 2025 and a similar amount in 2026. Thumbnail shows polyurethane foam. Image by Shutterstock.
18-Feb-2025
Latin America stories: weekly summary
SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Here are some of the stories from ICIS Latin America for the week ended on 14 February. NEWS INSIGHT: US mulls reciprocal tariffs on Brazil ethanol, cabinet hopes steel quota is to be kept Although the new US administration has so far only imposed tariffs on China, President Donald Trump keeps using the tariff threat as a form of negotiation and in the latter part of this week it was the turn of Brazil’s ethanol. Brazil’s Unigel plans listing but location undisclosed, rules out IPO – company Unigel’s restructuring plan includes listing shares on the stock exchange but not an initial public offering (IPO) issuing new shares, a spokesperson for the Brazilian chemicals producer said to ICIS. Brazil’s inflation slows in January but monetary tightening to continue – analysts Brazil’s annual rate of inflation fell in January to 4.56%, down from 4.83% in December, the country’s statistical office, IBGE, said this week. INSIGHT: EU-Chile trade deal could benefit chemicals indirectly via higher minerals supply (part 1) An interim trade accord between Chile and the EU kicked off on 1 February and the 27-country bloc is not shy about its main objective: get preferential access to the Latin American nation’s vast resources of raw materials. Mexico’s inflation falls in January nearing target, automotive exports under pressure Mexico’s annual rate of inflation fell to 3.59% in January, down sharply from December’s 4.2%, the country’s statistics office Inegi said. Brazil’s automotive January production up 15% on healthy demand at home, abroad Brazil's petrochemicals-intensive automotive production rose more than 15%, year on year, to 175,500 units – the highest January output since 2021 – while exports jumped over 50%, the country’s trade group Anfavea said on Monday. PRICING LatAm PE international prices stable to up on higher US export offersInternational polyethylene (PE) prices were assessed as stable to up on higher US export offers. LatAm PP domestic prices up in Mexico on higher feedstock costs Domestic polypropylene (PP) prices increased in Mexico tracking higher propylene costs. In other Latin American countries, prices were unchanged.
17-Feb-2025
Americas top stories: weekly summary
HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 14 February. IPEX: Asia finding a floor, up 1%; PVC and PP drive 1.3% index fall in Europe; USG toluene firms The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) for January shows that northeast Asian chemical markets may be finding a floor after two consecutive months of declines, with the regional index up 1% – only its second gain in six months, driven by a 14.7% surge in butadiene due to rising crude oil costs. US higher steel tariffs could backfire, reduce capex in chemical, industrial plants – ICIS economist Potential US 25% tariffs on steel and other metals could ultimately reduce capital expenditure (capex) in chemicals and industrial plants as costs rise, according to an economist at ICIS. US’ 25% tariffs on all steel, aluminium imports start 12 March The US will start imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports starting 12 March, under the executive order signed by US President Donald Trump on 11 February. INSIGHT: EU-Chile trade deal could benefit chemicals indirectly via higher minerals supply (part 1) An interim trade accord between Chile and the EU kicked off on 1 February and the 27-country bloc is not shy about its main objective: get preferential access to the Latin American nation’s vast resources of raw materials. INSIGHT: US reciprocal tariffs would have little direct impact on commodity chemicals markets – analysis The threat of US reciprocal tariffs is the latest wrinkle in US trade policy, spurring players to game out potential impacts. For the US chemical industry, there should be little direct impact on commodity markets as imports largely originate from Canada and South Korea – countries that already have free trade agreements with the US. Americas Styrenics sale process delayed as better market conditions expected later in 2025 – Trinseo The potential sale of Americas Styrenics (AmSty) – the 50/50 joint venture between Trinseo and Chevron Phillips Chemical (CP Chem) is being delayed as better market conditions are expected later in 2025, said the CEO of Trinseo. Reciprocal tariffs will match taxes on US goods by other countries; to take effect in April The US plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on all countries as early as 2 April once the required investigations have taken place, President Donald Trump said on Thursday. INSIGHT: US mulls reciprocal tariffs on Brazil ethanol, cabinet hopes steel quota is to be kept Although the new US administration has so far only imposed tariffs on China, President Donald Trump keeps using the tariff threat as a form of negotiation and in the latter part of this week it was the turn of Brazil’s ethanol.
17-Feb-2025
BASF to sell Brazil paints business to Sherwin-Williams, other moves ahead
LONDON (ICIS)–BASF is to sell its Brazilian decorative paints business to Sherwin-Williams for $1.15 billion and is set to begin exploring options for other parts of its coatings portfolio, the Germany-headquartered chemicals major said on Monday. The deal, to be structured as a share deal, is expected to close in the second half of 2025, with both companies to act fully independently until the completion of the transaction, the company said. BASF had marked the divestment of the Brazil business as a priority when it unveiled its new corporate strategy in September 2024, with around 1,000 employees and two production sites, in Demarchi and Jaboatao, included in the sale. The business, which also includes paints brands Suvinil and Glasu!, largely operates in Brazil and has “limited synergies” with BASF’s other coatings businesses, the company said in a statement. BASF projects further divestments in the coatings space and will begin exploring options for its other assets in the space in the next few months. “In the second quarter of 2025, BASF intends to approach the market to further explore strategic options for its remaining coatings activities, which include automotive OEM coatings, refinish coatings and surface treatment,” the company said. At its September strategy announcement last year, CEO Markus Kamieth outlined an overhaul of BASF’s structure to mark a clearer line between core operations and “standalone units” serving specific industries. The company identified its chemicals, materials, industrial solutions, and nutrition and care segments as the core businesses, and environmental catalyst and metal solutions, battery materials, coatings, and agricultural solutions categorised as standalone. "In the coming years, BASF will focus on strengthening and profitably growing its core businesses. For the standalone businesses, BASF will pursue active portfolio options where this adds value for BASF and its shareholders," the company said at the time. Thumbnail photo source: Shutterstock
17-Feb-2025
BLOG: China’s property crash has already destroyed $18tn of household wealth – where next?
LONDON (ICIS)–Click here to see the latest blog post on Chemicals & The Economy by Paul Hodges, which gives an update on the collapse underway in China’s property market. Editor’s note: This blog post is an opinion piece. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of ICIS. Paul Hodges is the chairman of consultants New Normal Consulting.
17-Feb-2025
S Korea's S-Oil Shaheen project 55% complete; to start commercial ops in H2 ’26
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–S-Oil's Shaheen crude-to-chemical project in Ulsan, South Korea is now 55% complete and is expected to start commercial operations in the second half 2026, the producer said on Monday. Construction of the $7bn project at the Onsan Industrial Complex of Ulsan City started in March 2023, with mechanical completion targeted by the first half of 2026. South Korean refiner S-Oil is 63%-owned by Saudi Aramco, the world's largest crude exporter. The Shaheen project – named after the Arabic word for “falcon” – will have a 1.8 million tonne/year mixed-feed cracking facility; an 880,000 tonne/year linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) unit; and a 440,000 tonne/year high density PE (HDPE) plant. The site will have a thermal crude-to-chemical (TC2C) facility, which will convert crude directly into petrochemical feedstocks such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and naphtha, and the cracker is expected to recycle waste heat for power generation in the refinery. The company currently produces a range of petrochemicals and fuels including benzene, mixed xylenes, ethylene, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), paraxylene, polypropylene, propylene, propylene oxide, biodiesel, and potentially bio-based aviation and other bio-derived products at its Onsan site. S-Oil plans to supply feedstock to domestic petrochemical downstream companies mainly through pipelines. "To this end, the construction of logistics-related infrastructure, such as a new pipeline network, is being carried out at the same time," it said. Long-term agreements for stable supply of raw materials are being signed between S-Oil and petrochemical companies located at the two industrial complexes in Ulsan, which would boost competitiveness of domestic value chain, the company said.
17-Feb-2025
Europe top stories: weekly summary
LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 14 February. Europe MX and PX chemical value chain braces for headwinds amid downstream closures and tariff threats Downstream demand for mixed xylenes (MX) and paraxylene (PX) in Europe has been limited at the start of 2025, with permanent shutdowns and the threat of tariffs among the hurdles to a meaningful recovery. Germany's battered chemical industry holds its breath ahead of general election Germany is set to head to the polls on 23 February amid one of the most challenging economic scenarios the country has faced in post-war times. EU gas price cap proposals would drive shipments to other regions – ICIS expert Proposals under consideration in the European Commission to temporarily cap natural gas pricing would likely result in the diversion of supplies away from Europe and tighten supply in the region, an ICIS analyst said on Wednesday. EU promises plan to save chemicals as Clean Industrial Deal approaches The European Commission has promised to address the plight of the region’s energy-intensive petrochemical sector later this year as it gears up for the publication of the Clean Industrial Deal on 26 February. IPEX: Asia finding a floor, up 1%; PVC and PP drive 1.3% index fall in Europe; USG toluene firms The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) for January shows that northeast Asian chemical markets may be finding a floor after two consecutive months of declines, with the regional index up 1% – only its second gain in six months, driven by a 14.7% surge in butadiene due to rising crude oil costs.
17-Feb-2025
UPDATE: US to start antidumping probe on Chinese MDI on 5 March
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will start on 5 March a preliminary antidumping probe on imports of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) from China, acting on a petition from BASF and Dow Chemical. The MDI Fair Trade Coalition – consisting of BASF Corp (Florham Park, New Jersey); and Dow Chemical (Midland, Michigan) – filed the petition on 12 February, citing dumping margins of 305.81% to 507.13% for the Chinese material, according to ITC's statement. ITC will make a preliminary determination on possible dumping by end-March 2025. The petition named producers BASF Polyurethane (Chongqing), Covestro Polymers (China), Shanghai Lianheng Isocyanate, Wanhua Chemical Group, and Wanhua Chemical Ningbo as allegedly dumping MDI into the US. China’s Wanhua Chemical is the world’s largest MDI producer. In 2024, the US imported around 229,000 tonnes of MDI from China, which accounted for 57% of total US MDI imports. The US in turn exported minimal amounts of MDI to China. Chinese MDI is currently subject to 35% tariffs in the US, after the additional 10% levy implemented on 4 February 2025. In his first term as US president, Donald Trump had imposed a 25% tariff on a host of Chinese goods, including MDI in May 2019. China, on the other hand, has a 31.5% tariff on imports of US MDI – a 25% tariff on top of the baseline 6.5% duty. (Adds paragraphs 4-9) Thumbnail image: Heavy Fog Hit Shanghai Port, China – 16 February 2025 (Costfoto/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
17-Feb-2025
US to start antidumping probe on China MDI imports on 5 March
SINGAPORE (ICIS)–The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will start on 5 March a preliminary antidumping probe on imports of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) from China, acting on a petition from BASF and Dow Chemical. The MDI Fair Trade Coalition – which consists of BASF Corp (Florham Park, New Jersey); and Dow Chemical (Midland, Michigan) – filed the petition on 12 February, citing dumping margins of 305.81% to 507.13% for the Chinese material, according to ITC's statement. ITC will make a preliminary determination on possible dumping by end-March 2025.
17-Feb-2025
ICIS EXPLAINS: German election's impact on energy
LONDON (ICIS)– Germany will head to the polls on 23 February for a snap federal election as Olaf Scholz, the incumbent chancellor, lost the vote of confidence last December, a month after his coalition government collapsed in November 2024. The following analysis will reflect core pledges from the manifestos of the German parties and review those in detail using ICIS data and insights. This analysis of German political pledges and announcements will be continuously updated by the ICIS energy editorial team. Lead authors include German power reporter Johnathan Hamilton-Eve, German gas reporters Ghassan Zumot and Eduardo Escajadillo. Data aggregated from multiple surveys collated by Politico, showed that on 12 February, the CDU/CSU led the polls with 29% of the vote. While the CDU/CDU remains ahead, the party has lost three percentage points since 13 November, when Scholz first announced a vote of confidence would take place on 16 December. Meanwhile, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Linke party have seen the largest gains in voter support, with each increasing by three percentage points in the polls. NORD STREAM AfD co-leader, Alice Weidel, said in a party congress on 11 January that her party is willing to resume Russian gas supplies via Nord Stream. The Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) has proposed reviving Nord Stream as part of its strategy to affordable and secure gas supplies. However, this is unlikely to materialise as BSW is not among the top three parties while the AfD is explicitly excluded from the ruling coalition. As a result, such energy policies would be very unlikely to pass in parliament. Other parties are explicitly against the idea of returning to Russian piped supplies. Technical capacity of Nord Stream 1 and 2 is 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) per year for each of the twin pipelines. REVIVAL OF NUCLEAR POWER Germany’s controversial decision to shut down its last three nuclear power plants in April 2023, is also an important topic discussed by the main parties who claim that this source of generation would ensure security of supply in the power sector. The AfD is the most vocal party to advocate for the return of nuclear energy as part of its agenda, the CDU/CSU dissimilarly said it would examine the possibility of recommissioning nuclear power plants as part of energy diversification. Excluding the FDP which support nuclear power development, the SPDs have no clear stance on the issue. The Greens/Alliance 90, Linke and BSW are the only parties that explicitly oppose a return to nuclear power generation, although BSW does support intensifying research in the field of nuclear fusion. Despite mixed views on nuclear, market participants and former nuclear operators remain sceptical on the issue, citing high costs, extensive staff training, regulatory challenges and the advanced dismantling of decommissioned nuclear plants as key barriers, making a revival unfeasible. GAS POWER PLANT STRATEGY? After a year of delays to the power plant safety act, Germany’s coalition collapse led to the current minority government failing to pass the act in December 2024. While the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate action (BMWK) previously told ICIS that implementing the act was “no longer possible” due to CDU/CSU opposition, traders active within the German power market noted that a revised bill with a renewed focus would likely follow the elections to help address missing power plant capacity. “A law to increase the capacity of dispatchable power plants is highly necessary and we will see some version of it in 2025,” said one trader. The CDU/CSU, led by Friedrich Merz, said in January that it would build 50 new gas-fired power plants quickly if elected. According to ICIS Analytics, that would make around a 25GW capacity addition to Germany’s current 36GW gas-fired fleet. This move aims to bring back confidence for investors and supply security for power consumers amid multiple periods of limited renewable generations this winter so far. On the other hand, the Greens want to move away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy as fast as possible. They strongly oppose new gas-fired power plants, unless hydrogen-ready, and aim to achieve 100% renewable electricity within the next ten years. Additionally, they plan to stop using fossil gas by 2045 and reject new long-term gas import deals, focusing on local sustainable energy. The Social Democrats, led by the incumbent chancellor Olaf Scholz, advocate for a more balanced approach. They aim to reduce CO2 emissions and are open to carbon capture and storage projects. Scholz recently welcomed the commissioning of new US LNG projects in a bid to diversify energy sources and expressed commitments to phasing out traditional energy sources gradually to maintain energy security and industrial strength. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) supports a market-driven policy. They want to reduce regulations to improve efficiency and modernization, creating a simple capacity market to incentivize building gas-fired power plants. The FDP also supports increasing domestic natural gas extraction, including the use of fracking, and boosting storage capacities to reduce reliance on international supplies. In stark contrast, AfD takes a very different approach. They support building new coal- and lignite-fired power plants and aim to revive the Nord Stream pipelines to secure cheap gas imports. RENEWABLE ENERGY The expansion of renewable energy remains a key topic in Germany, however, its focus has somewhat declined as debates over migration and how to revive the country's struggling economy take centre stage. Despite this shift, most parties continue to agree on the need to expand renewables. The Greens, SPD and Linke are the most ambitious in terms of promoting renewable energy. The Greens have pledged to uphold the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) target of an 80% renewable energy mix by 2030 and a carbon-neutral power grid by 2035. Similarly, Linke supports a 100% renewable energy mix, but with an extended timeline to 2050. To accelerate renewable expansion, Linke proposes municipalities receive a €25,000 bonus per MW for new wind turbines and large-scale PV systems built, along with a higher mandatory payment from wind and solar operators to municipalities. All parties advocate for lower grid fees, while the Greens, SPD, and CDU/CSU also advocate for a reduction in electricity taxes to cut prices and incentivise renewable growth. The BSW has indicated it would implement a repowering program to replace old wind turbines with new ones to increase electricity yield, while encouraging the installation of PV systems on public buildings and parking lots. In contrast, the FDP and AfD take an openly hostile stance towards renewables. Both parties have pledged to ban renewable subsidies, while the AfD has vowed to go a step further and demolish all wind turbines, with Weidel describing them as “windmills of shame”.
17-Feb-2025
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