Russia's sulphur supply is under renewed pressure after another Ukrainian strike hit the Astrakhan gas processing plant, a facility vital to the country's fertilizer industry and responsible for over 60% of its sulphur output.
The immediate threat to Canadian sulphur supply from the Alberta oilsands has eased, after several large wildfires in the Lac la Biche region were classified as “being held” with the help of rainfall in early June. The region has a combined annual sulphur production capacity of nearly 3 million t/a. Around 700,000 t/a of this is produced in the Edmonton area, primarily from Shell’s Scotford upgrader (580,000 t/a) and the Redwater refinery (130,000 t/a). The majority of the output, approximately 2.2 million t/a, is concentrated further north near Fort McMurray at facilities operated by Suncor, Syncrude, and CNRL Horizon. The out-of-control fires prompted evacuation alerts near in-situ sites operated by Cenovus, Canadian Natural Resources, and ConocoPhillips. While this specific threat has passed, the event highlights the seasonal vulnerability of Canadian sulphur supply, with the wildfire season typically running through the summer.
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.
Multiple drone strikes have hit the industrial city of Cherepovets in Russia's Vologda Oblast region, according to Russian news agency TASS. The area contains PhosAgro's largest phosphate fertilizer production site. Cherepovets has a production capacity of around 700,000 t/a NPK and around 814,000 t/year DAP/MAP, according to CRU data, making it the largest phosphate fertilizer production site across Europe and the CIS. The site also contains several sulphuric acid plants with a combined capacity of 4.5 million t/a, making it Russia's largest production hub for the acid. This entire volume is consumed domestically.
Yara Australia’s Pilbara facility is expected to remain offline for around two months following a power outage at the site. The incident is understood to have damaged some systems at the facility and that repair work is now required. Initial assessments are indicating a prolonged curtailment of both ammonia and technical ammonium nitrate production.
US and Israeli air attacks on Iran have hit a methanol production complex at Dayyer port in Iran’s Bushehr province, according to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The agency reported that two projectiles struck the pier of the Kaveh Petrochemical methanol facility in the Dayyer area, causing damage to the pier’s control room. Initial reports indicated that no damage was caused to the methanol production facilities and that the main units of the complex continued operating without disruption. No casualties were reported in the attack, the agency added.
Bahrain’s Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) says that its ammonia, urea and methanol plants remain offline following an Iranian drone attack and subsequent fire at the site. No injuries were reported from the incident.
Shell plc SHEL has temporarily halted production at its Pearl gas-to-liquids (GTL) facility in Qatar following a major attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City. The Pearl GTL facility, one of the largest of its kind globally, was forced to shut down after sustaining damage during aerial attacks leading to a fire on one of its processing trains. While the fire was quickly contained and no injuries were reported, production was suspended to assess the extent of the damage. The site has the capacity to process up to 1.6 bcf/d of gas into 140,000 bbl/d of liquid fuels.
The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has released its final investigation report into the fatal release of hydrogen sulphide at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Texas in October 2024.
Four Chinese-operated nickel plants at the Indonesian Morowali Industrial Park have temporarily ceased operations following a fatal landslide in February, in a development that will significantly reduce regional demand for sulphur and sulphuric acid. The shutdowns affect facilities run by China’s GEM Co. and its partners, which together account for 30% of Indonesia’s high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) capacity. The move comes amid heightened regulatory scrutiny. The largest of the four plants, PT QMB New Energy Materials, could remain offline for up to three months.