INSIGHT: Chem firms have scope to delay projects amid war disruptions. Al Greenwood 07-May-2026 HOUSTON (ICIS)-A review of proposed olefin projects show that chemical companies have scope to delay or even cancel projects in response to disruptions caused by the war in Iran and the closure of the strait of Hormuz. However, any delays or shutdowns could be offset by plans in emerging markets and by governments to promote domestic manufacturing. The UAE, which has withstood missile attacks and disruptions from the strait's closure, is holding its fifth Make it in the Emirates forum this week. Even while the strait is closed, companies announced $10 billion in new chemical investments in the UAE during the forum. WAR ALREADY CAUSED DELAY Components that INEOS needs to complete its ethane cracker in Antwerp, Belgium are stuck behind the strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, according to the Financial Times. Dow CEO Jim Fitterling said the war could trigger project delays or even cancellations. "We also anticipate impacts to future investments, including potential delays or cancellations of planned industry capacity additions, as well as increased pressure for capacity rationalization," Fitterling said during a recent earnings call. Producers certainly have scope for delays and cancellations. The Middle East, which has faced the most disruptions, was expected to add nearly 5.04 million tonnes/year of new ethylene capacity between 2026 and 2029. That is dwarfed by China, which is adding more than 22 million tonnes/year of ethylene capacity during the same time. Much of it is being added in 2026 and 2027. Many of these projects will convert methanol to olefins, making them more attractive at a time of higher oil prices. The timeline is unclear for Braskem's expansion project at its ethane cracker in Duque de Caxias in Rio de Janeiro province in Brazil. Braskem's majority shareholder is in the process of selling its stake to a Brazilian private-equity firm, which may further delay the expansion plans, which date back at least a decade. In India, development is still early for a proposed greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex that state-owned Bharat Petroleum Corp LTD (BPCL) plans to build near Ramayapatnam port in the southeastern Andhra Pradesh state. Bharat just started land acquisition and pre-project activities in the second half of 2025. The project will cost rupee (Rs) 1 trillion ($10.6 billion) and include a 1.5 million tonne/year cracker. EMERGING MARKETS PROCEED WITH PROJECTS Less than a month after the war started, Kazakhstan's minister of energy outlined his country's plans to expand refining and petrochemical capacity during the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference. "Someone would ask, 'Why the excessive capacity?'" said Yerlan Akkenzhenov, Kazakhstan's energy minister. "We see an opportunity for us to use our crude to refine and sell it to neighbors. This is our intent." To illustrate his point, Akkenzhenov listed the populations of neighboring countries as well as Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Kazakhstan is exploring the feasibility of doubling the capacity of a refinery in Shymkent to 12 million tonnes/year from 6 million tonnes/year, he said. According to the Kazakh firm Silleno, commissioning is planned for 2029 for an integrated polyethylene (PE) plant in the Atyrau region that will have a capacity of 1.25 million tonnes/year. The cracker will use ethane as a feedstock. In Nigeria, Dagote Industries is moving forward with a 750,000 tonne/year propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit and a 400,000 tonne/year linear alkylbenzene (LAB) plant, according to Honeywell UOP, which is providing the process technology for the projects. ($1 = Rs94.5) Insight article by Al Greenwood Thumbnail and photo show polyethylene (PE), which is made with ethylene. Image by ICIS Global news + ICIS chemical business (ICB). See the full picture, with unlimited access to ICIS chemicals news across all markets and regions, plus ICB, the industry-leading magazine for the chemicals industry. Related commodity market analysis and insight. Contact Comah.org. Partnering with ICIS unlocks a vision of a future you can trust and achieve. Comah.org leverage its unrivalled network of industry experts to deliver a comprehensive market view based on independent and reliable data, insight and analytics. Contact Comah.org to learn how Comah.org can support you as you transact today and plan for tomorrow.

April 9, 2026 - Control Station names Braskem's Neal Plant industry leader in PID performance. * By Control Guru * April 9, 2026 Integration of PlantESP and Asset Intellect helps manufacturers turn control loop diagnostics into faster operational decisions Control Station, Inc., today named Braskem's Neal Plant as the recipient of its inaugural Top Performing Facility Award. The recognition honors the Braskem facility's exceptional performance in achieving world-class PID control loop effectiveness as measured by Overall Controller Effectiveness (OCE). As process manufacturers increasingly adopt data-driven performance metrics to improve reliability and efficiency, benchmarking control loop effectiveness has become a critical component of operational excellence. Located in Kenova, West Virginia, the Neal Plant distinguished itself from more than 150 production facilities by achieving the highest average benchmark for plant-wide regulatory controller performance during calendar year 2025. Through proactive monitoring and analysis of PID control loops, the site achieved industry-leading OCE scores that reflect superior controller utilization, minimized variability, and sustained operational excellence. "Braskem's Neal Plant exemplifies what is possible when organizations prioritize their control infrastructure as a strategic asset," said Dennis Nash, President of Control Station. "Their commitment to continuously monitoring and improving control loop effectiveness has delivered measurable gains in stability, throughput, and efficiency. This data-driven approach to optimization is precisely what the Top Performing Facility Award was created to celebrate." The award was based on a year-long, data-driven evaluation of OCE scores collected monthly from a diverse set of global manufacturing sites using Control Station's PlantESP Loop Performance Monitoring solution. As an analogue to Overall Equipment Effectiveness, OCE provides a holistic measure of controller health by assessing factors that characterize an individual PID loop's availability, performance, and quality. Because OCE is computed using normalized values, performance can be compared across different loop types and aggregated seamlessly from loop to unit, plant, and even enterprise levels. This approach is helping establish OCE as a standard benchmark for control performance across the process industries. Braskem's achievement reflects a sustained focus on best practices in loop tuning, performance monitoring, and proactive maintenance. By leveraging advanced analytics and standardized workflows, the Neal Plant has improved process stability and reduced operator intervention, unlocking incremental production capacity and delivering measurable improvements in cost efficiency and operational reliability. "Achieving world-class regulatory control performance requires both the right technology and a culture of continuous improvement," commented Bob Rice, PhD, Control Station's Vice President of Engineering. "Braskem's Neal Plant has demonstrated leadership in both areas, delivering measurable gains in operational performance and overall efficiency."