Axens has signed an agreement with Air Liquide to acquire its methanol to olefins technology portfolio, including the Lurgi Methanol-to-Propylene ™ process. The company says that this addition expands its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) portfolio through Axens’ Jetanol ® process chain, offering its customers an end-to-end solution for SAF production through the methanol to jet pathway (MTJ).
Petrobras PBR has said that it plans to restart construction of the long-delayed UFN-III fertilizer plant in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul, with work at the site expected to resume by September. UFN-III, with a planned capacity of 2,200 t/d of ammonia and 3,600 t/d of urea, was partially completed in the 2010s, but the site has been inactive and unfinished since 2015. Petrobras now intends to complete the project with an estimated investment of $1 billion, targeting commercial operations by 2029. The site was chosen as it was strategically positioned near several of Brazil’s largest agribusiness regions, including Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, Paraná and São Paulo.
The government of Kazakhstan says that the country will build its first ammonia-urea plant at Aktau, in the Mangistau region, with a total investment cost put at $1.6 billion.The Kazakh Industry and Construction Ministry and KazAzot PRIME have signed an investment agreement for the construction of the complex, with commissioning scheduled for 2030. Plant capacity is expected to be 660,000 t/a of ammonia, 580,000 t/a of urea and 500,000 t/a of ammonium nitrate. The government says that the plant will reduce import dependence, supply domestic farmers, and strengthen export potential. By 2030, Kazakhstan’s ammonia production capacity is projected to reach 2.3 million t/a, ensuring self-sufficiency and export growth.
Compact Syngas Solutions (CSS) says that it has completed work on a government funded demonstration project which aims to be “the next generation of waste-to-energy plants”. The new £4 million ($5.4 million) MicroHub plant, developed as part of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Hydrogen BECCS Innovation Programme, produces hydrogen and electricity from biogenic waste while capturing carbon emissions using water scrubbing. Unlike traditional methods that use chemical solvents like amines, CSS’s system uses water to remove carbon dioxide from syngas, which the company says is a safer and more sustainable solution.
AkzoNobel says that it is providing long-term corrosion protection and chemical and heat resistant coatings for the wind power and chemical processing facilities at the Songyuan Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park. Constructed by China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd., it is the world’s largest integrated green hydrogen-ammonia-methanol project. Now on its second phase, the industrial park operates entirely on 100% renewable electricity and is currently focused on producing 45,000 t/a of green hydrogen and 200,000 t/a of green ammonia and methanol.
Sabic is expected to make a final investment decision (FID) soon on construction of a seventh ammonia-urea plant, at Jubail Industrial City, according to local press reports. The new plant is expected to produce 1.2 million t/a of gas-based ammonia and 2.6 million t/a of urea. Feedstock allocation for the plant was approved by the Ministry of Energy in March. However, plans reportedly remain dependent on securing a long-term offtake agreement.
MaireGroup says that its NextChem subsidiary has completed the acquisition of the Ballestra group, a leading player in the licensing, design and engineering of processing plants, as well as in the supply of proprietary technologies and equipment for the chemical industry. NextChem says that the integration of Ballestra significantly strengthens its technology portfolio in phosphate and potassium fertilizers and completes its coverage of the full NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) spectrum. At the same time, it provides access to new segments with high growth potential, particularly in chemistry for the production and circularity of strategic materials needed to develop and expand electrification, where Nextchem is already present with metals recovery technologies following the recent acquisition of ETEK.
On May 23, a drone attack was reportedly carried out on the Metafrax methanol plant in Russia’s Perm region, according to state media. According to the region’s governor, Dmitry Makhonin, there were no casualties. Metafrax Chemicals was previously attacked in September 2025, and February 17 and March 11, 2026. In February, local residents reported at least six explosions, and plant workers were evacuated.
HyOrc Corporation says that it has secured financing for the first module of its 8 t/d (2,650 t/a) waste-to-methanol facility in Porto, Portugal. Manufacturing is actively underway for an initial modular unit capable of producing up to 1 t/d of green methanol, targeted for shipment in September 2026. The plant uses municipal waste as a feedstock, gasifying it and converting it into syngas for downstream methanol synthesis. HyOrc has previously completed a 25 t/d gasifier in Coimbatore, India, and a 3 t/d waste to methanol unit in Assam, India (May 2026).
Romanian state-controlled gas supplier Romgaz signed an agreement 29 May to acquire all production assets of fertilizer producer Azomures for a total consideration of approximately euro 69 million ($80.15 million), according to a report filed with the Bucharest Stock Exchange. The transaction price comprises euro 46.46 million ($53.96 million) for the plant assets, plus up to $11 million for the book value of consumables and raw materials, and $15 million to cover operating costs during the period between signing and completion. The deal is financed entirely from Romgaz's own sources. The transaction completion remains subject to approval by Romgaz's Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders, an unconditional clearance from Romania's Competition Council, and approval from Bucharest's Foreign Direct Investment Screening Commission (CEISD).