Plant Watch
World-scale black pellet plant begins commercial operation in Vietnam
October 14, 2025 — Idemitsu Kosan Co. (Tokyo; www.idemitsu.com) has commenced commercial operation of its newly constructed plant in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, to produce black pellets (BP), a type of biomass fuel. The plant is Vietnam’s first commercial-scale BP production facility, and with a production capacity of 120,000 metric tons per year (m.t./yr), ranks among the world’s largest BP plants. Since 2020, Idemitsu has also operated a small-scale BP demonstration plant in Vietnam.
BASF starts up new dispersions production unit in Türkiye
October 13, 2025 — BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany; www.basf.com) has started up a new production line dedicated to dispersions for architectural coatings and construction materials at its facility in Dilovası, Türkiye, near Istanbul. The new production line enables BASF to provide low-VOC (volatile organic compound) dispersions, which improve indoor air quality.
Borealis announces major expansions at XLPE facilities in Sweden
October 13, 2025 — Borealis Group (Vienna, Austria; www.borealisgroup.com) announced two major investments in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) production facilities at its site in Stenungsund, Sweden. The first project is the construction of a new production unit for insulation grades used in medium-voltage power-distribution cables, for which commercial availability is expected in early 2027. The second project adds capacity for advanced XLPE grades used in high- and extra-high-voltage alternating-current (AC) and direct-current (DC) cable systems. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2026, with commercial availability expected during the course of 2027.
Songwon to establish production facility for polymer additives in Saudi Arabia
October 8, 2025 — Songwon Industrial Co. (Ulsan, South Korea; www.songwon.com) has announced a major investment to establish a new production facility in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Due for completion in 2028, the new facility will produce a range of high‑performance additive blends to support efficient polyolefin resin production.
Air Liquide invests €130 million in high-purity gas supply in Singapore
October 1, 2025 — Air Liquide S.A. (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) will build, own and operate two new state-of-the-art industrial gas facilities to support the expansion of a leading semiconductor manufacturer in Singapore, for a total investment of €130 million. Air Liquide’s new facilities will supply large volumes of ultra-high purity nitrogen to support the production of advanced chips. The new units are projected to be operational by 2027.
Repsol to build its first large-scale renewable hydrogen plant in Cartagena
October 1, 2025 — Repsol S.A. (Madrid, Spain; www.repsol.com) is moving forward with plans for its first large electrolyzer, with 100 MW of capacity, at the company’s industrial complex in Cartagena in eastern Spain. The facility will be able to produce up to 15,000 m.t./yr of renewable hydrogen, which the company will use as feedstock to manufacture low-carbon chemical products.
OMV advances one of the largest water electrolysis plants in Europe
October 1, 2025 — OMV AG (Vienna, Austria; www.omv.com) has begun construction on one of the largest electrolysis plants producing green hydrogen in Europe. The 140-MW plant in Bruck an der Leitha, Austria is scheduled to go into operation in late 2027. OMV will produce up to 23,000 m.t./yr of hydrogen using renewable energy, including solar, wind and hydroelectric power.
Formosa Plastics commissions largest horizontal PP reactor in North America
September 25, 2025 — Formosa Plastics Corp., U.S.A. (Livingston, N.J.; www.fpcusa.com) successfully commissioned the largest horizontal polypropylene (PP) reactor in North America at its Point Comfort, Tex., facility. With an annual capacity of 550 million pounds, this production line is engineered to produce a complete slate of resin grades, including homopolymer, random copolymer and impact copolymer.
Henkel expands flagship manufacturing facility in South Dakota
September 25, 2025 — Henkel AG (Düsseldorf, Germany; www.henkel.com), expanded its manufacturing facility in Brandon, South Dakota. With an investment of approximately $30 million and additional support from South Dakota’s government and economic development organizations, the site has now doubled in size. The site focuses on the production of high-performance adhesive and thermal-management materials primarily for the electric vehicle (EV) and electronics industries. The expansion includes the installation of additional mixers, enabling higher-volume production of advanced thermal-management and adhesive formulations.
Mergers & Acquisitions
Carlyle to acquire majority stake in BASF Coatings business
October 13, 2025 — BASF and funds managed by investment firm Carlyle, in partnership with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), have entered into an agreement related to the acquisition of BASF Coatings. The enterprise value of the transaction amounts to €7.7 billion. BASF Coatings is a global player in the development, production and marketing of automotive coatings and automotive-refinish coatings, as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. The business operates in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific, and generated sales of approximately €3.8 billion in 2024.
Mitsui Chemicals acquires Nippon Aluminum Alkyls from Ketjen
October 2, 2025 — Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Tokyo; www.mitsuichemicals.com) and Ketjen Netherlands Holdings B.V. (Amsterdam, the Netherlands; www.ketjen.com) have entered into a share purchase agreement for Nippon Aluminum Alkyls Ltd. (NAA), a company that manufactures and sells organometallic compounds, such as alkyl aluminum. Mitsui Chemicals has acquired all shares of NAA, which are held by Ketjen, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. NAA’s alkyl aluminum products span a wide range of uses, including catalysts for polyolefins, reducing agents for pharmaceutical synthesis and raw materials for electronics products.
Berkshire Hathaway to acquire OxyChem for $9.7 billion
October 2, 2025 —Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Omaha, Neb.) and Occidental Petroleum Corp. (Houston; www.oxy.com) announced a definitive agreement for Berkshire Hathaway to acquire Occidental’s chemical business, OxyChem, in an all-cash transaction for $9.7 billion, subject to customary adjustments. OxyChem is a global manufacturer of commodity chemicals, with applications in water treatment, pharmaceuticals, healthcare construction and more.
DuPont acquires reverse-osmosis company in China
October 1, 2025 — DuPont (Wilmington, Del.; www.dupont.com) agreed to acquire Sinochem (Ningbo) RO Memtech Co. to expand its reverse osmosis (RO) manufacturing footprint into Asia. The acquisition increases DuPont’s capacity to meet the growing demand in the region for membrane elements for industrial water purification and reuse. The acquired production facilities, based in Zhejiang Province, China, will represent the third RO manufacturing location for DuPont, expanding on the existing production plants in Edina, Minnesota and Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
SLB acquires chemical-tracer specialist Resman Energy
September 24, 2025 — SLB (Houston; www.slb.com) agreed to acquire Resman Energy Technology. Resman’s chemical-tracer technology enables operators to monitor reservoir flow without disruption, providing advanced monitoring for oil-and-gas, CO2-storage and geothermal applications. ■