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Latest from BCInsight
Predicting the unpredictable
The start of the new year has shown that 2026 is already proving to be a very eventful one, beginning with the US abduction of Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro, which has prompted questions over production at the country’s ailing nitrogen assets, as well as the potential for a future boost to gas supplies to Trinidad. Meanwhile the Iranian government faces its most sustained public challenge since the 1979 revolution, and possible US military intervention, threatening continued exports from the country. In Europe, the future of fertilizers’ inclusion in the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) has been thrown into doubt barely a week after the new regulations came into force, as France and Italy pushed for an exemption for crop nutrient imports.
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BASF has announced a new management board for the spin-off of its new Agricultural Solutions division as a separate company ahead of its listing and initial public offering (IPO) on the Frankfurt stock exchange. BASF says this will “establish the standalone business as an independent, pure-play agricultural company with global reach, robust growth prospects and strong cash flow generation.” BASF will remain the majority shareholder and will continue to benefit from the company’s growth and success, while implementing market customary corporate governance.
Green ammonia project “economically unfeasible”
World Energy GH2 has shelved its 1.2 GW green hydrogen and ammonia project in Stephenville, Newfoundland, after failing to secure offtake agreements. Project Nujio’qonik was conceived as a major green hydrogen/ammonia scheme backed by 2 GW of new wind capacity, intended to export green ammonia to Europe. However, despite a $50 million investment from South Korea’s SK Eco-plant and high-profile endorsement by then German chancellor Olaf Scholz, the developer has confirmed that the project is being replaced by a new initiative, called Clean Grid Atlantic, which will use the wind resource to power domestic markets instead.
Johnson Matthey opens first hydrogen internal combustion engine facility in Gothenburg
Johnson Matthey (JM) has officially opened its first hydrogen internal combustion engine facility, where emission control systems will be tested. Hydrogen internal combustion engines use zero carbon hydrogen fuel in tried-and-tested engine technology, presenting a viable path for decarbonising medium and heavy-duty transport, such as trucks and buses.
Methanol Reformer to supply MGC with methanol reformer for Niigata plant
Spain’s Methanol Reformer has signed a sales and purchase agreement with Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC) for the supply of an L18 methanol reformer compliant with Japanese industry requirements. The system will be delivered and installed at MGC’s Niigata plant, with commissioning planned for the second half of 2026. Methanol Reformer says that this, their first industrial project in Japan, reinforces the company’s presence in the Asian market, while for MGC, the collaboration supports the adoption of innovative hydrogen-generation solutions designed to enhance operational applicability and efficiency with reliability.
Clariant catalysts selected for waste-to-methanol plant
Clariant says it is collaborating in Repsol’s pioneering methanol plant in El Morell near Tarragona, Spain. The Ecoplanta project will be the first of its kind in Europe to convert municipal waste into renewable methanol, using Enerkem’s advanced waste gasification process, supported by a range of Clariant’s syngas purification catalysts and its highly active MegaMax methanol synthesis catalysts. Scheduled for completion in 2029, the plant will use 400,000 t/a of non-recyclable solid municipal waste to produce 240,000 t/a of methanol.
BASF to supply hydrogen-based ammonia to OCI’s Geleen fertiliser plant
BASF and OCI Global have agreed for the first deliveries of renewable ammonia produced at BASF’s site in Ludwigshafen in order to produce low-carbon fertilizers at OCI’s site in Geleen. This initiative expands OCI’s low-carbon portfolio and introduces the “Pure” product line, delivering the same fertilizer quality at a substantially reduced carbon footprint without compromising on performance. BASF says that its renewable ammonia is certified according to ISCC PLUS and is produced using a mass balance approach, through which renewable energy-derived hydrogen is attributed to the renewable ammonia grades.
ASU contract for blue methanol plant
Air Water Gas Solutions, a subsidiary of Air Water America, will build an air separation unit to support the production of 1.1 million t/a of blue methanol at Sandpiper Chemicals’ blue methanol facility in the US. The low carbon methanol producer has contracted Air Water to design, build, and operate the ASU to provide oxygen, nitrogen, and instrument air for blue methanol production. The project is still at the pre-final investment decision (FID) stage, with production targeted for 2030.









