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2025 CEPCI updates: January (prelim.) and December 2024 (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for January 2025 (most recent available) rose slightly compared to the previous month’s value. The final value for December 2024 was downwardly revised by a small margin. For the first…

Wacker to replace fossil coal with biogenic carbon for production of silicon

  Wacker Chemie AG (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) is to start replacing coal with biogenic carbon for its silicon production in Holla, Norway. A long-term supply contract to this effect has been signed with Aymium. In Holla, Norway, WACKER currently uses…

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Business News: March 2025

Plant Watch LG Chem set to commence production of bio-based acrylic acid February 13, 2025 — LG Chem Ltd. (Seoul, South Korea; www.lgchem.com) will commence the production of bio-based acrylic acid in the second quarter of 2025, with plans to…

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Executive Insights: Wacker Chemical Corporation

In this exclusive interview, Christoph Kowitz, president and CEO of Wacker Chemical Corporation, offers his perspective on the goals, challenges and accomplishments of the company, as well as the challenges faced by the chemical process industries Christoph Kowitz is the…

AGAE Technologies Announces Production of Rhamnolipid Biosurfactant From a Full-Scale Manufacturing Plant in Asia

AGAE Technologies (Corvallis; Ore.; www.agaetech.com), a U.S.-based leader in rhamnolipid production and technology, with its partners, has officially opened the largest retrofitted manufacturing plant complex in Asia. This manufacturing complex, covering 41,000 square feet, has the capacity to produce over…

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy awards feedstock allocation for joint LyondellBasell/Sipchem project

Sipchem (Sahara International Petrochemical Company; Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia; www.sipchem.com) and LyondellBasell (LYB; Houston, Tex.; www.lyondellbasell.com) have been awarded a feedstock allocation from the Ministry of Energy of Saudi Arabia supporting a joint feasibility study for a world-scale mixed feed…

KBR Awarded PMC Contract to Oversee Development of Fertilizer Project in Angola

KBR (Houston, Tex.; www.kbr.com) announced Feb. 26 that it has been awarded a contract for Project Management Consultancy (PMC) services by AMUFERT to support the development of its fertilizer plant in Soyo, Angola. As part of this transformative $2 billion project, KBR…

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March 2025 Economic Indicators

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for December 2024 (most recent available) fell slightly compared to the previous month’s value. The final value for November 2024 was revised downwardly. The small decline in the December CEPCI…

Chemical manufacturers report rising cost pressures and weak demand, according to ACC data

Chemical manufacturer sentiment declined over the second half of 2024, according to the latest findings from the American Chemistry Council’s (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) Chemical Manufacturing Economic Sentiment Index (ESI). ACC’s index, based on companies’ assessment of their activity level…

U.S. chemical production rose in December 2024, ACC says

Chemical production was up in the U.S. in December, according to new data published today by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) “U.S. chemical production continued to expand during the last month of 2024, up by 1.2%” said…