LONDON (ICIS)–Energocom’s rise to prominence in the last two years has been significant. The Moldovan state wholesaler was tasked by the government to secure electricity and natural gas amid growing concerns that the historic supplier Gazprom would cut deliveries amid growing political tensions. Over the last two years the company faced not only the formidable […]

LONDON (ICIS)–European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic has called for the AggregatEU joint purchasing mechanism to be retained and extended to other commodities claiming success after a third matching round closed on 4 October. Speaking on 6 October the Commission’s vice-president said companies have snapped up 11.86 billion cubic meters during the latest round, noting there was […]

HOUSTON (ICIS)–US automaker General Motors (GM) agreed on Friday to include its electronic vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing under the national master negotiating agreement, preventing a strike at the automaker’s Arlington, Texas assembly plant, the president of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union said during a livestream broadcast. GM’s Arlington assembly plant produces the full-size sport […]

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Vietnam’s economy grew by 5.33% year on year in the third quarter, aided in part by improved exports in September, preliminary official data showed on Friday. The reading was higher than the annualized 4.05% expansion in the previous quarter but represented a sharp deceleration from the 13.7% pace recorded in the same period last […]

The war in Ukraine has caused oil and especially gas price volatility, as restricted flows from Russia to Ukraine caused values to spike to record-breaking levels before collapsing to pre-war levels. Since December 2022, unseasonably mild winter weather hit demand, reversing gas prices. However millions of tonnes of chemical and fertilizer production remain offline across […]

SAO PAULO (ICIS)–Brazil’s economy started 2023 on the backfoot and GDP growth expectations at barely 1%, but nine months later most economists and analysts now expect growth to be around three times higher. Even the beleaguered industrial sectors, which were lagging agriculture and services, are posting a “moderate reacceleration”, the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) […]

LONDON (ICIS)–The ICIS Northwest Europe ammonia-to-hydrogen assessment rose by more than 10% on a weekly basis heading towards October, with the price boosted by a bullish ammonia market at the end of September. The ammonia-to-hydrogen assessment increased by €0.60/kg week on week to be assessed at €5.65/kg on 28 September, the highest valuation for the […]

HOUSTON (ICIS)–The United Auto Workers (UAW) union will expand its strike to two Ford and GM assembly plants at 16:00 GMT (noon EST) as negotiations with the Big Three automakers continue. About 7,000 workers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant and GM’s Lansing Delta Township will begin to strike today, UAW President Shawn Fain said during […]

LONDON (ICIS)–Ammonia markets saw continued uptick over week 38 as European market participants refrained from ramping up production, leaving the market tight on account of high gas prices. As such, the ICIS ammonia-to-hydrogen assessment for northwest Europe pushed above the €5/kg mark, a level last recorded in March 2023. Ammonia producers have been waiting for […]

NEW YORK (ICIS)–Economics pose a major challenge to the scale-up and adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) but advancements in early-stage technology, particularly in eFuels, will dramatically lower costs in the coming years, according to executives at Honeywell and HIF Global. The challenge is huge. To meet climate goals, the industry will need to produce […]