Europe top stories: weekly summary

LONDON (ICIS)–Here are some of the top stories from ICIS Europe for the week ended 15 December.

Europe’s Q1 phenol adder talks ongoing in bearish market
Europe’s Q1 phenol adder talks are ongoing this week. Decreases have been widely reported so far, but the extent of the decrease has varied, depending on the source.

Libya exports first ethylene, propylene and CC4 for 12 years
The first olefin exports have been fixed from National Oil Corporation’s (NOC) Ras Lanuf cracker in Libya which restarted in November after a 12-year hiatus.

INSIGHT: Cautiously optimistic future for plastics circularity – what to expect after a challenging 2023
The circular economy has been one of the most powerful megatrends affecting the plastics industry over the past few years and is widely anticipated to keep building momentum in future.

Solvay to develop carbon neutral soda ash plant for Saudi planned city
Solvay will conduct a feasibility study into building the world’s first carbon neutral soda ash plant in NEOM, the city under development in Saudi Arabia, the Belgium-based producer said on Tuesday.

IPEX: Global index down 4.2% in November on widespread chemicals price falls across all regions
The ICIS Petrochemical Index (IPEX) fell by 4.2% month on month in November as chemicals prices declined across all regions, not least in northeast Asia and northwest Europe.