Malaysia plots Rapid rivalry with Singapore
Malaysia is pitting itself against economic rival Singapore as it strives to develop a major $20 billion world-scale refinery and petrochemicals hub
The Petronas-led refinery and petrochemical integrated development scheme, dubbed Rapid, will be the single largest liquid-based downstream investment in Malaysia. And, once complete, the complex will be bigger than all of Petronas’ existing refineries and chemical plants combined. The framework for the complex, which aims to meet growing demand for premium specialty chemicals in the Asia-Pacific region, includes a 300,000 barrel per day (b/d) refinery, a naphtha cracker with a combined production capacity of around 3 million tonnes a year (t/y) of ethylene, propylene, C4 and C5 olefins, as well as an additional 22 mini-petrochemical complexes. A 5m t/y LNG receiving terminal is also part of
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat






