Heidi Finch

LONDON (ICIS)--European petrochemicals producers will aim to pass on their higher input costs to customers in coming months as high natural gas prices filter down to electricity bills. Unlike in the fertilizers industry, where production curtailments have already been announced by several companies due to the high price of natural gas - a key feedstock for the sector - output cuts are not yet on petrochemicals companies’ plans, sources said.

LONDON (ICIS)--European titanium dioxide (TiO2) feedstock supply uncertainty could be aggravated by a force majeure declaration on Rio Tinto's mining operations in South Africa after workers' raised security concerns. Rio Tinto's force majeure on the Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) mine last week has left TiO2 producers unclear about feedstock supply in the immediate aftermath of the outage. Any feedstock supply gaps could impact TiO2 run rates and supply capabilities for Q3/Q4, as stocks are low.

LONDON (ICIS)--Senior Editor Heidi Finch discusses the continued bull run in the Europe epoxy resins market in May, amid persistent supply shortages and the near-term supply/demand outlook, including these key points: Strong uptrend continues into May, on severe supply crunch Europe supply strain to persist through Q2 and possibly Q3 Any possible changes in Asian exports to Europe or demand could be game changers.