GHCL to temporarily close soda ash plant for planned maintenance, production shortfall expected

Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd. (GHCL; Ahmedabad, India) said its soda ash plant at Sutrapada, Gujarat State, will undergo a temporary closure for planned maintenance activities, as per Chemweek.

The annual maintenance shutdown is scheduled to take place from Sept. 26, 2025, to Oct. 12, 2025, resulting in an estimated production shortfall of approximately 22,000 metric tons to 25,000 metric tons.

Despite the temporary halt in production, GHCL reassured its customers that it has sufficient reserve stock of soda ash to meet ongoing requirements. The company emphasized that there will be no adverse impact on supply commitments during this maintenance period.

GHCL plays a significant role in the Indian soda ash market, contributing to nearly 25% of the country’s annual domestic soda ash demand. The company operates with a capacity of 1.2 million metric tons per year, according to its website.

In its report for the fiscal first quarter ended June 30, GHCL noted a persistent softness in global soda ash prices. This decline is primarily attributed to an oversupply situation in international markets, including the US, Europe and now China, which has exerted pressure on pricing realizations.

Looking forward, GHCL previously expressed concerns regarding macroeconomic uncertainty, anticipating that it will continue to impact global soda ash markets. The company expects prices to remain volatile in the near future as market dynamics evolve.

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MAIRE announced that NEXTCHEM and Siemens Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on the development and commercialization of a breakthrough methanol high temperature fuel cell, based on a newly designed modularized solution, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

With an initial focus on the high-end yachting segment, the target market for the cooperation is the maritime industry and beyond.

NEXTCHEM will focus on the design and supply of the innovative and highly efficient methanol fuel cell module, while Siemens Energy will leverage its expertise in onboard system integration, complete electrification and energy management with the aim of delivering a complete solution to shipyards and Owners.

The fuel cell will reform low-carbon methanol back into hydrogen for onboard power generation, allowing net-zero operations of the vessel both at anchor and during propulsion. This solution will allow displacing significant amounts of fossil marine diesel fuel, and to avoid the emissions of highly regulated nitrous and sulfur oxides.

The first "Industrial scale” installation of this innovative system is already under definition and will be installed on a flagship net-zero yacht currently under construction.

While the yachting segment is seen as an early adopter market, this new highly efficient methanol fuel cell module designed and supplied by NEXTCHEM will be capable of serving many other applications and markets, like stationary net-zero power generation, including back-up and baseload of data centers and industrial processes, as well as remote and off-grid installation.

Fabio Fritelli, Managing Director of NEXTCHEM, commented: “With this highly efficient and modularized fuel cell solution NEXTCHEM will cover the entire value chain of low-carbon methanol, with a unique proposition capable to deliver best-in-class production technologies, while also unlocking additional methanol uses, thus, accelerating demand growth and the establishment of a broader low-carbon methanol economy”.

Giuseppe Sachero, Vice President, Oil & Gas and Chemical Solutions, Siemens Energy, added: "This development highlights the unique value of key players in the energy transition value chain. By working together, we capitalize on each other’s expertise and references in adjacent industries. Fuel cells are an integral part of the clean fuels technologies ecosystem, from electrolysis to electricity generation and storage, and are applicable in multiple industrial applications."

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BASF’s Intermediates division has announced that its standard grade amine portfolio will soon be produced by 100% renewable electricity credited to the Geismar, Louisiana Verbund site, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The transition is set to begin in Q4 2025 and continue through 2026, complementing the transition currently underway in Europe. Renewable electricity will be generated through the application of solar and wind renewable electricity credits and allocated to the amines portfolio in Geismar. This transformation reflects BASF’s broader strategy towards achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, while maintaining product quality and supply continuity. By leveraging renewable electricity credits and optimizing production processes, BASF Intermediates is delivering measurable reductions in product carbon footprints (PCFs) across its amines portfolio.

“This is a transformation in how we think about carbon dioxide emissions in our value chain,” said Kevin Anderson, BASF Vice President, Business Management - Amines & Specialty Intermediates, Americas. “Our customers can now benefit from lower Scope 3 emissions without any disruption to their operations.”

The use of such credits is expected to result in an annual reduction of about 25,000 tons of CO2 equivalents compared with the base year 2024. This corresponds to an average PCF reduction of about 4.5%1 across the entire amines portfolio. The transition marks an important milestone in the Intermediates Division’s contribution to BASF’s goal to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25% by 2030 compared with 2018.

"By investing in renewable electricity, we empower our customers to advance on their sustainability path. We're committed to developing innovative solutions that align with their environmental goals," said Mike Sowinski, Head of Sales, BASF Intermediates Americas. "We look forward to collaborating with our customers to further reduce their product carbon footprints."

With about 300 different amines, BASF has a very diverse portfolio of chemical intermediates. The versatile products prove themselves mainly to manufacture process chemicals, pharmaceuticals and crop protection products, as well as cosmetic products and detergents. They also serve to produce coatings, special plastics, composites and special fibers.

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Russia's Finance Ministry is proposing to extend to 2027 and 2028 the special coefficient (VSPR) that made it possible to reduce government payments to oil companies on the fuel damper subsidy as part of tax changes for the draft budget for the next three years, as per Interfax.

The extension of this mechanism is expected to generate 422.805 billion rubles of additional budget revenue in 2027 and 493.052 billion rubles in 2028, a source familiar with materials for the draft federal budget told Interfax.

The VSPR is the allowance for the Urals crude price discount against Brent built into the formula of the damper. The mechanism of the price differential in the calculation of payments to oil companies was approved by the State Duma in July 2022 (bill No. 136059-8) and went into effect on September 1, 2022. The adjustment brought the indicative export price for gasoline in the damper formula closer to the actual price of Russian gasoline in Europe, meaning the average Urals discount against Brent in a month began to be subtracted from the average price of gasoline in Europe.

Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Sazanov said during debates on the bill in parliament that his ministry estimated this adjustment would make it possible to reduce budget spending on payments to oil companies by about 100 billion rubles in 2022.

Subsequently, in 2023 and 2025, the parameters of the VSPR were refined, but the mechanism for adjusting the damper was expected to be eliminated in 2027.

The amendments prepared by the Finance Ministry also call for setting nominal values for average wholesale motor fuel prices that will be used for calculating the dampening components of the excise on crude oil shipped for refining, which will give the budget an additional 116 billion rubles in 2028.

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The ban on gasoline exports for all participants, except for supplies under intergovernmental agreements, will be extended until the end of the year, while a ban on diesel fuel exports for non-producers will also be introduced until the end of the year, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told journalists, as per Interfax.

"Yes, there is a decision. We will soon extend the ban on gasoline exports until the end of the year, and a ban on diesel fuel exports for non-producers will also be introduced, likewise until the end of the year. This will allow us to additionally supply the market with petroleum products," Novak said.

Gasoline exports will be prohibited until the end of the year for all participants, except for supplies under intergovernmental agreements, he said.

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