Petchems producers can see better times ahead
US petchem producers look to brighter tomorrow
After being battered by unprecedented weather events and demand loss over the past year, the industry is hoping for much-needed market stability
The US petrochemicals sector has managed to weather the storm—both figuratively and literally—with operators outlasting a global health pandemic, an overactive hurricane season and more recently an Arctic blast that ripped through the heartland of Texas’ energy sector. Margins across the downstream sector are also rapidly recovering as economic lockdowns in the developed world wind down. And robust global capacity for feedstocks provision is helping offset lost capacity from the US Gulf Coast. Indicative cracker margins in both the US and Europe have doubled between Q2 last year and the first half of 2021. 70pc – Ethylene price jump in March But US margins may have already peaked, w
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6 March 2026
The March 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
6 March 2026
After Europe’s rapid buildout of floating LNG import capacity, Exmar CEO Carl-Antoine Saverys says future growth in floating gas infrastructure will increasingly be driven by developing markets as lower prices, rising energy demand and the need to replace coal unlock new opportunities for unconventional and tailor-made solutions
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
