Petchems producers can see better times ahead
US petchem producers look to brighter tomorrow
After being battered by unprecedented weather events and demand loss over the past year, the industry is hoping for much-needed market stability
The US petrochemicals sector has managed to weather the storm—both figuratively and literally—with operators outlasting a global health pandemic, an overactive hurricane season and more recently an Arctic blast that ripped through the heartland of Texas’ energy sector. Margins across the downstream sector are also rapidly recovering as economic lockdowns in the developed world wind down. And robust global capacity for feedstocks provision is helping offset lost capacity from the US Gulf Coast. Indicative cracker margins in both the US and Europe have doubled between Q2 last year and the first half of 2021. 70pc – Ethylene price jump in March But US margins may have already peaked, w
Also in this section
23 March 2026
A complex and sometimes contradictory web of factors that include unpredictable oil prices, the globalisation of LNG markets, the expansion of Middle Eastern sovereign capital and the growth of datacentre demand will shape the energy landscape beyond 2026
23 March 2026
The Strait of Hormuz crisis highlights how key waterways can become global chokepoints
20 March 2026
Attacks on key oil and LNG assets across the Gulf mean a prolonged supply disruption, with damage to Qatar’s export capacity undermining confidence in the global gas system
20 March 2026
The US may be systemically stripping Russia of key geopolitical allies, but Moscow can reap rewards from the Hormuz crisis, both in the short and long term
