Russian petrochemical production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian ethylene production amounted to 2.796 million tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 3.030 million tons in January to August 2025, whilst propylene production increased from 1.688 million tons to 1.727 tons.  Benzene production dropped from 870,770 tons to 825,196 tons, whilst a drop was recorded in styrene production from 473,735 tons to 447,244 tons.

In other area of aromatic production toluene rose from 215,872 tons to 252,17594 tons, whilst orthoxylene dropped from 115,675 tons to 69,920 tons and paraxylene dropped from 149,474 tons to 116,823 tons.  Ethylene glycol production decreased from 258,610 tons to 249,407 tons.  Acetic acid production rose from 124,322 tons in the period January to August 2025 to 129,419 tons in 2026.  Methanol production rose from 2.626 million tons in the first eight months in 2025 to 2.757 million tons in 2026.

The outlook for aromatics in the second half of 2026 is facing huge challenges from the lack of production at many refineries.  Of the three xylene plants Kirishi is down completely.  Omsk and Ufa are currently operating but could see production affected by continued drone attacks.  The problem for many Russian refineries is that sanctions prevent the purchase of specialised equipment from the West and there are limited alternatives.  

The effect of the crisis in the Straits of Hormuz for the Russian industry petrochemical industry has been twofold. On the one hand, domestic companies faced an increase in the cost of imported raw materials whilst on the other the crisis caused a unique chance to replace the lost volumes of products on world markets.  However, this latter aspect of the crisis did not bring any meaningful growth for the major petrochemical producers.

Russian polymer production Jan-Aug 2026

Regarding the production of bulk plastics in Russia, polyethylene rose from 2.420 million tons in the first eight months in 2025 to 2.471 million tons in the same period in 2026, boosted by the start-up of the Irkutsk Polymer Plant.  The production of propylene polymers in Russia increased from 1.431 million tons to 1.466 million tons in the first eight months in 2026.  The production of synthetic rubbers in primary forms dropped from 956,150 tons to 813,413 tons due mostly to reduced production at Nizhnekamskneftekhim after the accident at the end of March followed by drone attacks.  PET production dropped slightly from 445,789 tons to 426,102 tons.  PET is the one main polymer where Russia is dependent on imports. 

Russian chemical industry Jan-Aug 2026

Production of ammonia and ammonium nitrate fell in the first eight months in 2026.  Ammonia production dropped from 12.397 million tons to 11.874 million tons whilst ammonium nitrate production dropped from 7.794 million tons to 6.840 million tons in January to August 2026.

Russian ethylene production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian ethylene production totalled 2.796 million tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 3.030 million tons in January to August 2025. 

ZapSibNeftekhim at Tobolsk produced 887,470 tons in January to August 2026, against 1.004 million tons from January to August 2025.  Stavrolen at Budyennovsk produced only 112,795 tons of ethylene in the first eight months against 223,553 tons due to necessary repairs following drone attacks.  Production in the Volga region dropped to 1.453 million tons against 1.508 million tons.    The Siberian Federal District saw ethylene production increased from 294,462 tons to 343,371 tons.

Nizhnekamskneftekhim-Kazanorgsintez new ethylene pipeline-Oct 2026

The new ethylene pipeline between Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez started its initial operations from October.  The new pipeline is intended to replace the old ethylene pipeline, launched in 1976, and will increase the capacity of ethylene pumping by around two and a half times, up to 500,000 tpa.  Investments amount to 35 billion roubles, the company specified. The laying of a new Nizhnekamsk-Kazan ethylene pipeline is close to completion.  

SIBUR intends to increase the supply of raw materials from Nizhnekamskneftekhim to Kazanorgsintez by several times.  It will replace the branch that has been operating for about half a century and will significantly increase the supply of raw materials from Nizhnekamsk to Kazan.

The construction of the new pipeline began in August 2025, with the pipe diameter increased to 273 mm and comprises a length of 254 km. The design capacity of ethylene pumping is up to 500,000 tpa, which is 2.5 times more than the current volumes. SIBUR's investments in the project amounted to more than 35 billion roubles.

The ethylene pipeline passes through the territory of nine districts of the Republic of Tatarstan, without affecting settlements and bypassing the areas of oil, gas and other minerals.  Currently, work is being completed on the complete biological reclamation of the soil layer disturbed during the work. The commissioning of the updated infrastructure of the ethylene pipeline is scheduled for the fourth quarter of this year.

Russian propylene production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian propylene production totalled 1.728 million tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 1.689 million tons in the same period in 2025. 

ZapSibNeftekhim at Tobolsk increased production from 626,633 tons in January to August 2025 to 669,356 tons in the same period in 2026, whilst the plants in the Volga region increased production from 650,124 tons to 691,473 tons.  Propylene is produced at Nizhnekamskneftekhim, Ufaorgsintez, and the two plants at Kstovo, under Lukoil and SIBUR-Kstovo. 

Production of propylene at the Budyennovsk plant in the North Caucasus dropped from 94,691 tons to 51,461 tons whilst in Siberia the combined production of the Tomsk and Angarsk plant resulted in 316,176 tons versus 317,500 tons in 2025. 

Russian butadiene production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian butadiene production increased in the first eight months to 367,489 tons versus 423,043 tons in the same period in 2025.  Production at the three sites in the Volga region dropped from 235,382 tons to 153,395 tons. 

Lower production in the Volga region has been due largely to reduced production at Togliattikaucuk where operations have been affected this year by drone attacks.  Togliattikaucuk operates a butadiene plant with a capacity of 120,000 tpa.  The butadiene produced on-site directly feeds the plant's massive synthetic rubber operations, which include 60,000 tpa of copolymer rubbers (such as Styrene-Butadiene Rubber or SBR).

The facility suffered a significant operational setback in June 2026, when a drone strike targeted the plant. Subsequent satellite image analysis confirmed substantial physical damage specifically to the D-4 extractive distillation hydrocarbon separation unit, directly impacting the site's primary infrastructure for butadiene isolation and refining.  Because the D-4 unit acts as the primary gateway for isolating 1,3-butadiene, its disruption has forced the plant to operate at heavily reduced capacities or rely on stockpiled fractions.

Russian benzene-toluene production Jan-Aug 2026

Benzene production amounted to 825,197 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 870,770 tons in the same period in 2025.  The Volga region for benzene production is the largest in Russia, increasing production from 544,075 tons in 2025 to 554,784 tons in the same period in 2026.

Crude benzene producers have opposed a possible ban on the export of benzene from Russia, instead they propose to increase the utilisation of capacities for the production of pure benzene.  Only two of the 11 coke oven and chemical enterprises, the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant of Severstal and the West Siberian Metallurgical Plant (ZSMK) of Evraz, can produce pure benzene used in the petrochemical industry.  Instead of banning exports, Russian Steel proposes to increase the production of pure benzene at metallurgical enterprises.  Currently the Cherepovets plant is 100% loaded, and ZSMK only 61%. Evraz is ready to increase production if there are supplies of third-party raw materials.

Russian toluene production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian toluene production increased from 215,822 tons in the first eight months in 2025 to 250,995 tons in 2026.  Falls were only seen in the north-west part of Russia, dropping to 11,836 tons in the first eight months against 26,926 tons in the same period in 2025.  This was the result of the ceased operations at the Kirishi refinery.

Russian styrene production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian styrene production amounted to 447,244 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 473,735 tons in the same period in 2025. Production in the Volga region takes place at Nizhnekamsk and Salavat, and the region accounted for 399,834 tons in the period January to August 2026.  In Siberia Angarsk Polymer increased production to 20,830 tons in the first eight months of 2026. 

Russian plastics production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian bulk plastics production amounted to 7.203 million tons in January to August 2026 the same as in 2025.  The difference between the two years is more stable production volumes in 2025, whilst volumes in 2026 have been disrupted by drone attacks both on plants and logistics.  Volatility in production and demand has led to sharp fluctuations across the Russian polyethylene and polypropylene markets.  Whilst production has fluctuated domestic demand has remained weak, and the external economic situation created multidirectional effects for producers and processors.

Problems facing the Russian polymer market

The main problem of the Russian polymer market in the first half of 2026 was weak domestic demand.  Demand for polymers sank in construction (due to a high interest rate), in the automotive industry (due to a slowdown in production and problems with components), and in the tyre industry. In addition, the commissioning of new capacities (Irkutsk, Kazan) has increased supply, which has not yet found adequate demand within the country.

Demand has failed to revive in the second half of the year.  Individual seasonal rebounds are possible, but with so many problems emerging steady growth seems nothing more than hopeful. Demand for polymers may remain around the level of 2025 at best, and in a number of segments it may decline even more. The main constraints will be weak construction, a more cautious packaging segment, a slowdown in the automotive industry, as well as new capacity and a supply surplus that has already been commissioned.

Russian ethylene polymer production Jan-Aug 2026

Production of ethylene polymers in Russia amounted to 2.521 million tons in January to August 2026, up from 2.514 million tons in the same period in 2025.  Production was boosted towards the end of 2025 by the start-up of HDPE production at the new unit at Irkutsk Polymer Plant.  Production increased from 241,605 tons of polyethylene in the first eight months in 2025 to 527,060 tons in the same period this year.

The largest plant for the production of ethylene polymers is ZapSibNeftekhim at Tobolsk, located in the Ural Federal District.  ZapSibNeftekhim produced 895,083 tons in January to August 2026 against 1.024 million tons in January to August 2025, nearly all of which comprised main polyethylene grades HDPE and LLDPE.

The second largest region in Russia is the Volga Federal District where production dropped from 899,377 tons in January to August 2025 to 862,654 tons in January to August 2026.  The Volga district includes producers from Bashkortostan including Gazprom neftekhim Salavat and Ufaorgsintez, and from Tatarstan Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez.

Financial prospects for the producers are constrained by mounting issues.  The total net profit of Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Kazanorgsintez in the second quarter amounted to 9.8 billion roubles. for Nizhnekamskneftekhim it amounted to 7.1 billion roubles which was 14.7 times lower than in 2025, for and Kazanorgsintez 2.7 billion roubles which was two-fold lower. 

Nizhnekamskneftekhim has been the target of Ukrainian drones in the past few months, but as yet no damage mentioned to the polymer plants.  Production in the Russian Far East is expected to emerge shortly at the Amur Gas Chemical Complex.  Most of the production is intended for the Chinese market. 

Russian polyethylene trade Jan-Aug Aug

Inward shipments of ethylene polymers into Russia from China into Russia rose in the first eight months in 2025 from 54,177 tons to 54,634 tons in 2026.  Average prices increased to $1642.8 to $1623.2 per ton.  The largest category of imports comprised ethylene-hexene copolymers, amounting to 18,710 tons in the first eight months in 2026.

Russian polyethylene exports to China increased from 252,214 tons in January to August 2025 to 363,352 tons in the same period in 2026, with both HDPE and LDPE showing rises.  

HDPE from the new plant at Irkutsk has been focused on the Chinese market.  Average prices for Russian polyethylene exports to China dropped from $845.1 per ton to $837.5 per ton in 2026.  Imported volumes have been in decline as the year has progressed. 

Russian polypropylene production Jan-Aug 2025

Russian production of propylene polymers totalled 1.141 tons in January to August 2026 against 1.053 tons in 2025. ZapSibNeftekhim increased production from 497,809 tons to 584,416 tons in January to August 2026, whilst Stavrolen at Budyennovsk reduced production slightly from 71,163 tons to 67,251 tons.   The Siberian Federal District includes polypropylene plants at Omsk and Tomsk, where production rose from 173,240 tons to 178,582 tons.

The Moscow refinery reduced production year to 78,767 tons from 84,894 tons in the same period in 2025.  The Volga region, including Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Ufaorgsintez, produced 221,826 tons against 220,458 tons.  The Siberian region, which includes Tomskneftekhim and Polyom at Omsk, increased production to 178,582 tons from 173,240 tons.

Russian polypropylene trade Jan-Aug 2026

Revenues from Russian exports of polypropylene homo grade to China rose from $84.044 million in the first eight months in 2025 to $87.444 million in the same period in 2026.  By volume Russian polypropylene exports increased from 99,751 tons to 106,270 tons.   Chinese exports of propylene polymers to Russia amounted to 19,464 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 14,788 tons in the same period in 2025.    Prices amounted to $1655.0 per ton in 2026, down from $2163.8 in 2025. 

Russian PVC production and trade Jan-Aug 2026

Russian PVC suspension grade production totalled 774,063 tons in January to August 2025 against 745,421 tons in the same period in 2024.  The Volga region, which includes plants at Kstovo and Sterlitamak, accounted for 476,204 tons in January to August against 450,375 tons in the same period in 2024.   Sayanskkhimplast is the only PVC producer in Siberia, producing 220,163 tons in the against 225,826 tons in January to August 2025.  The plant is supplied with ethylene from the Angarsk Polymer Plant by pipeline.

Russian PVC market Jan-Aug 2026

Imports of PVC from China into Russia dropped to a total of 63,181 tons in January to August 2026 against 100,966 tons in 2025.  Shipments of PVC suspension grade dropped from 57,289 tons to 30,971 tons whilst emulsion grade dropped from 51,085 tons to 28,283 tons.

Kazanorgsintez-polycarbonate production restricted due to component shortages

Kazanorgsintez reduced production of polycarbonate from 66,887 tons in the first eight months in 2025 to 61,888 tons 2026.  The fall is indicative of the lack of stability in the production of polycarbonate at Kazanorgsintez.  Firstly, this is the unreliability of equipment due to the inability to find high-quality spare parts (original vacuum hoses have been missing for four years since 2022).   Secondly, there are no reliable catalysts (neither Russian nor Chinese give a stable production result). 

Russian PVC market January to July 2026

Production of suspension grade PVC in Russia increased from 503,977 tons in January to August 2025 to 514,042 tons in the first eight months this year.  Production at Sayanskkhimplast rose from 120,453 tons to 137,394 tons.  Production by Kaustik at Volgograd fell from 49,572 tons to 47,536 tons.  The Volga region includes the Kstovo and Sterlitamak plants where production fell from 333,952 tons in the first eight months in 2025 to 329,111 tons.

The Kaustik plant was struck on 2 October by drones, leading to a fire although it is not clear if production was affected.  Kaustik is a major industrial facility located in Volgograd’s Krasnoarmeysky District. The plant manufactures chemical products, including dual-use materials utilized by the Russian military. 

Despite the fact that the capacity of Russian plants is sufficient to cover the needs for suspension PVC there is a high dependence on imports.  Emulsion PVC production is limited to Kstovo.  China's share of PVC imports has reached around 98% of total imports, although dropping from 55,611 tons in the first eight months last year to 41,148 tons in 2025. 

Russian PX-PTA production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian paraxylene production amounted to 114,578 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 149,474 tons in the same period in 2025.  Gazprom Neft at Omsk reduced production from 37,746 tons to 36,623 tons whilst Ufaneftekhim reduced production from 82,454 tons to 64,246 tons.  The Kirishi refinery has stopped completely due to drone damage and is unable to replace the damaged equipment due to sanctions.

Both Ufa and Omsk have also been struck by drones this year affecting production, particularly at Ufaneftekhim which was hit again in September.  Only a total of 2,066 tons of paraxylene was produced in Russia in August.  The only Russian PTA producer Polief gets around 75% of paraxylene from Bashneft and the remainder from the Omsk refinery. 

PTA production at Polief is starting to see the effects of lower paraxylene production.  Although maintenance was undertaken in August, reducing production to 6,539 tons, overall production dropped from 230,491 tons in January to August 2025 to 195,102 tons in the same period in 2026. 

Russian PTA imports from China amounted to 155,775 tons in the first eight months in 2026 versus 197,754 tons in the same period in 2025.  PTA import prices averaged $738.9 in 2026 which was up from $596.3 in 2025.  Costs of PTA imports amounted to $115.098 million against $117.914 million in 2025.

Russian PET production Jan-Aug 2026

Ekopet produced 148,518 tons of PET in the first eight months in 2026 against 169,881 tons in January to August 2025, whilst the combined plants of Senezh and SIBUR-PETF produced 129,974 tons against 141,599 tons.  Polief increased PET production to 134,510 tons versus 145,240 tons last year.  PET production in Russia amounted to a total of 423,732 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 445,789 tons in the same period in 2025.

Russian PTA-PET-MEG imports January to August 2026

Chinese shipments of PET to Russia amounted to 177,559 tons in January to August 2026 against 181,136 tons in January to August 2025.  PET imports increased despite the slightly higher domestic production.  Average prices increased from $790.0 per ton in the first eight months in 2026 to $961.2 per ton.

Domestic processors, in addition to imports, compensated for the shortage by actively using secondary raw materials. PET bottle recycling facilities are being integrated into the technological chain for the production of geotextiles and other products.  

PET consumption in Russia is growing primarily due to the growth of the rigid packaging segment. Attempts to replace it with other polymers, for example, polypropylene, have partially reduced the severity of the problem, but so far they cannot remove it completely. Secondary PET also does not save the situation, since a priori it is more expensive than primary PET, and the current measures of state support do not compensate for this lag.

Russian synthetic rubber production Jan-Aug 2026

Synthetic rubber production in Russia amounted to 846,431 tons in January to August 2026 against 956,104 tons in the corresponding period in 2025.   Production dropped partly due to the fire that took place on 31 March at Nizhnekamskneftekhim, and partly because of drone damage which has particularly affected Nizhnekamskneftekhim and Togliattikaucuk.  The production of all types of synthetic rubber at Togliattikaucuk (under the control of Tatneft) has been completely stopped for several months.  The smallest producer in the Volga region Sterlitamak Petrochemical Combine was struck in August.  The Siberian region decreased production from 77,285 tons in January to August 2026 to 63,648 tons in the same period in 2026.  

Drones attacked Voronezhsintezkaucuk on 25 September, resulting in a fire but only minor disruptions to production.  The plant produces butadiene and styrene-butadiene rubbers, as well as thermoplastic elastomers used in tyre manufacturing, road construction, and roofing materials. The facility has a production capacity of 226,000 tpa of rubber and 135,000 tpa of SBS polymers.   In addition to NKNK, SIBUR produces SKD on two types of catalytic systems (neodymium and titanium) at the Voronezhsintezkaucuk site where the capacity is estimated at about 140,000 tpa. 

In the period from January to June 2026, Nizhnekamskneftekhim reduced sales of synthetic rubber by 21% compared to the same period last year, bringing the figure to 233,000 tons. The decrease in volumes was due to the retirement of divinyl rubber production, the redistribution of raw materials, as well as temporary shutdowns of facilities as a result of a production incident.

NKNK's situation in rubbers is difficult. The main factor now is the supply/demand imbalance and price pressure: for NKNK, this is the situation with rubbers and the demand for tyres. NKNK's share in the global rubber market is declining due to the weakness of the tyre market, as it is one of the key consumers, in addition, the difficult situation in the economy and the growth of the company's expenses have a negative impact on its activities.

Synthetic rubber production by category Jan-Aug 2026

Isoprene rubber amounted to 155,849 tons in the first eight months against 191,216 tons in the same period last year.  Butadiene rubber production amounted to 131,875 tons against 170,779 tons in January to August 2025. 

The production of butadiene methylstyrene rubber rose from 155,829 tons to 158,925 tons whilst butyl rubber production was reduced from 92,754 tons to 64,869 tons.    The highest value rubber sold by Russia is halogenated butyl rubber where production increased from 62,466 tons in 2025 to 68,540 tons.  

Russian Chinese rubber trade Jan-Aug 2026

Russian export revenues from synthetic rubber shipments to China totalled $761.615 million in January to August 2026 against $747.693 million in the same period in 2025.  By volume Russian shipments of synthetic rubber to China amounted to 417,894 tons in the first eight months in 2026, which was down from 494,882 tons in 2025. 

Butadiene rubber exports represented the largest category, declining from 88,817 tons in January to August 2025 to 74,147 tons.  There was a sharp reduction in butadiene rubber exports in the second quarter following the huge accident that took place at Nizhnekamskneftekhim at the end of March.  Butyl rubber and halogenated butyl rubber exports were also affected.

Exports to China have declined this year in correlation with lower production.  Besides China India has become more important for Russian rubber exports this year, amounting to 23,750 tons in the first half of 2026 against 7.690 tons a year earlier.  Exports to India dropped in the third quarter.

Russian rubber market January to Aug 2026

Synthetic rubber sales inside Russia proved to be a stable business until 2024.  Since then, there has been a reduction in the production of tyres and cars on the domestic market resulting in lower demand for rubber, which itself has impacted significantly on prices.  The question is how long this margin of safety will last if rubber prices do not recover, and the tyre market continues to shrink.    

Tyre production continued to fall in the first eight months this year, reducing total consumption of natural and synthetic rubber to 202,300 tons against 220,100 tons in the same period in 2025.  A gradual recovery in the production of passenger tyres was expected to take place in 2026, but Russian tyre manufacturers cannot compete with Chinese manufacturers due largely to the fact that they operate old and imperfect equipment. 

SIBUR is forced to export most of the synthetic rubber produced due to the limited further growth in consumption by the Russian tyre industry, which is experiencing problems with loading and reducing production.  Further prospects for growth in consumption is limited, aside switching from natural to synthetic.  

SIBUR states that in each tyre, up to 85% of natural rubber could be replaced with synthetic rubber without losing its properties, and in some elements up to 100%.  This would be extremely beneficial to SIBUR producers including Nizhnekamskneftekhim (655,000 tpa), Voronezhsintezkaucuk (244,000 tpa), and the Krasnoyarsk Synthetic Rubber Plant (51,000 tpa).  Another ex-SIBUR producer Togliattikaucuk, now part of Tatneft, produces 207,000 tpa.  The capacities of Russian producers are loaded on average by only 51%.

The European Union's 22nd sanctions package against Russia, adopted on 12 October 2026, included several tyre and rubber product manufacturers aimed at disrupting precision military supply chains. More than half of the newly sanctioned listings are explicitly tied to the production chain for ballistic missiles (specifically Iskander manufacturers) and military drones.

Russian methanol production Jan-Aug 2026

Russia produced 2.758 million tons of methanol in the first eight months in 2026 against 2.626 million tons in the same period in 2025.  The Volga region, including Metafrax Chemicals, Tomet and Ammoni, reduced production from 1.147 million tons to 991,093 tons in the first eight months in 2025.  

The Siberian Federal District (including Gazprom Methanol and Angarsk Petrochemical) increased production from 533,514 tons to 564,067 tons.   The Central region, which includes Shchekinoazot, showed a sharp rise in production from 736,033 tons to 990,678 tons in the first eight months in 2026.  Azot at Nevinnomyssk in the North Caucasus has also been affected by drone attacks, reducing production in the first eight months from 65,788 tons in 2025 to 61,189 tons this year.   Azot provides essential raw materials such as used in the manufacture of explosives and a wide range of ammunition compositions.  Its role in sustaining Russia's frontline firepower makes it a high-value target within the broader campaign to degrade military logistics. 

Russian methanol exports Jan-Aug 2026

Russian methanol exports amounted to 1.086 million tons in January to August 2026 versus 1.031 million tons in the same period in 2025.  Shchekinoazot increased exports from 371,971 tons to 595,498 tons, whilst Metafrax Chemicals reduced shipments from 252,489 tons to 130,206 tons.   Tomet at Togliatti reduced exports from 131,984 tons to 75,515 tons in January to August 2026.  Gazprom Methanol increased exports from 268,882 tons to 284,369 tons in 2026. 

Russian exports to China amounted to 785,226 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 563,913 tons in the same period in 2025.  Chinese import statistics indicate lower volumes went into China for consumption, and a certain volume was transhipped to other destinations such as India.

Average prices for methanol imports amounted to $239.8 per ton against $307.3 per ton in the same period in 2025.  Export volumes to Turkey fell from 168,807 tons in the first eight months last year to 136,729 tons in 2026.  Shipments to Brazil dropped from 133,812 tons to 46,516 tons in the first eight months in 2026.

Export prospects for 2027

A major development is expected from the Nakhodka Mineral Fertiliser Plant with a capacity of 1.8 million tpa of methanol should reach its design capacity in 2027.   Nakhodka methanol could become attractive to consumers from the Asia-Pacific region.  In particular the launch of this plant could result in a significant increase in Russian exports to China.  At present the Nakhodka plant is undergoing commissioning, although there is no specific news when shipments will start.  Shchekinoazot and Gazprom Methanol are likely to be the main producers affected by the start-up of the Nakhodka plant displacing exports from those plants. 

Nakhodka methanol project-commissioning update 

At the Nakhodka Mineral Fertilizer Plant (NFP), hydraulic tests of commercial methanol tanks have begun as part of commissioning.  All eight tanks with a volume of 30,000 tons each are being gradually filled with water and checked for compliance with operational parameters for reliable and safe storage of finished products.

For hydrotesting, desalinated water obtained at the NFP water treatment and water treatment plant is used. About 28,000 tons of liquid are pumped into each tank, which is kept in a closed tank for 72 hours. All this time, specialists use measuring devices to take indicators of the stability of the foundation, check for vacuum, overpressure and possible hidden defects. Inspection of tanks at the commissioning stage is carried out following a multi-level quality control of work on the installation of metal structures carried out by a robotic method.  After the completion of hydraulic tests, specialists will sandblast the inner walls of the tanks and conserve the tanks until the receipt of products. Finished methanol from the tanks will be sent through pipelines to tankers and then by sea to end consumers.  For raw materials NFP signed a 20 year contract with Gazprom for 3.15 billion bcm per annum of natural gas.

Russian methanol domestic sales Jan-Aug 2026

Domestic merchant sales of methanol rose fractionally from 941,563 tons in January to August 2025 to 954,185 tons in January to August 2026. 

Metafrax Chemicals reduced domestic merchant sales to 246,436 tons in January to August 2026 against 306,361 tons in January to August 2025, whilst Gazprom Methanol increased domestic merchant sales to 221,053 tons against 196,994 tons.   Shchekinoazot shipped 251,184 tons in January to August 2026 against 237,794 tons in 2025. 

Formaldehyde production rose in the first eight months this year to 608,966 tons versus 584,791 tons in the same period in 2025.  This was exclusively to the increase of production by Nizhnekamskneftekhim.  Production of formaldehyde at Nizhnekamsk is channelled into the production of isoprene monomer. 

For the rest of the formaldehyde market demand has been stagnating.  Production for urea formaldehyde concentrate declined from 193,819 tons to 188,678 tons in the first eight months this year.  The production of urea-formaldehyde resins fell from 691,954 tons to 600,409 tons and phenol-formaldehyde resins from 268,592 tons to 261,876 tons.   

In terms of new applications in the Russian market fuel has come under close examination since the imposition of sanctions following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.  Of all the fuel applications of methanol in Russia, only shipping is viable.  There appears to be no shortage of capacity; free capacity of the plants of the European part and the Volga region plus their exports is about 2.2 million tpa.  Thus, there is no raw material limitation for marine methanol but there is only a restriction on demand.

Russian butanol production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian normal butanol production amounted to 87,088 tons in January to August 2026 versus 111,875 tons in the same period in 2025.  The Volga region, which includes SIBUR-Khimprom, reduced production from 70,336 tons to 72,154 tons.  The Angarsk Petrochemical Plant increased production from 87,088 tons in the first eight months last year to 30,678 tons.

Russian solvent production Jan-Aug 2026

Russian acetic acid production amounted to 124,079 tons in January to August 2026 against 124,411 tons in the same period in 2025.  The largest and most important producer in Russia, Azot at Nevinnomyssk, increased production to 88,69586 tons in January to August 2026 against 72,519 tons in the same period in 2025.

Isopropanol production in Russia amounted to 47,672 tons in January to August 2026 against 36,741 tons in the same period in 2025.  Omsk Kaucuk increased production from 16,259 tons to 20,677 tons whilst the Plant at Synthetic Alcohol at Orsk increased production from 20,482 tons to 26,996 tons.   Omsk Kaucuk only started isopropanol production in 2020 and only achieved high utilisation rates in 2023. 

TDI imports into Russia Jan-Aug 2026

TDI imports into Russia from South Korea amounted to 12,441 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 4,200 tons in the same period in 2025, with costs rising from $7.866 million to $24.355 million.  Prices rose slightly from $2140.0 per ton in January to August 2025 to $2141.2 per ton in 2026. 

Chinese shipments of TDI to Russia dropped from 13,803 tons in the first eight months last year to 9,192 tons in the same period this year.  Average prices rose from $1877.5 per ton to $2382.9 per ton.

MDI imports into Russia Jan-Aug 2026

MDI imports from South Korea to Russia amounted to 24,066 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 7,511 tons in the same period in 2025.  Prices rose from $1940.1 per ton to $1977.5 per ton.  Russia imported 19,158 tons of MDI from South Korea in 2025. 

MDI imports from China into Russia dropped in the first eight months in 2026 to 55,488 tons versus 58,490 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices rose from $2006.7 per ton to $2215.8 in 2026. 

Following Western sanctions (including the EU's 14th package), traditional exports from the EU, the U.S., and Japan ceased. Initial reports in late 2024 indicated that major alternative suppliers like China's Wanhua Chemical Group and Saudi Arabia's Sadara Chemical also temporarily halted or restricted certain isocyanate shipments. However, trade data from 2025–2026 shows that alternative sourcing networks, primarily centered around China and regional intermediaries, continue to supply the Russian polyurethane, automotive, and construction sectors.

Polyol exports from China to Russia rose in the first eight months in 2026 to 81,093 tons against 71,663 tons in the same period in 2025 and by value to $124.376 million versus $92.773 million.   Total consumption of polyols in Russia ranges from 210-220,000 tpa at present.

Hungarian crude imports Jan-Aug 2026

Hungary imported 1.011 million tons from Russia in the period January to August 2026, against 3.202 million tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices for Russian crude rose to €502.8 per ton from €422.2 per ton in 2025.  Hungarian prices for 2026 compare against Czech prices of €606 per ton and Polish prices at €578, but there is always supply uncertainty in relation to the Druzhba.  Whilst the Druzhba was down earlier this year Hungary was taking some crude from Slovakia.  Russian oil exports to Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline recovered to the normal level of 165,000 barrels per day in May.    

Polish crude imports Jan-Aug 2026

From the total of 11.363 million tons of crude imported into Poland in the first eight months in 2026, supplies from Saudi Arabia totalled 7.019 million tons followed by Norway which provided 6.050 million tons.  

Average prices for Polish crude purchases increased from $489.7 per ton in the first eight months in 2025 to $577.7 per ton in 2026.  Due to lower prices refining margins for the Orlen Group recovered steadily throughout 2025 but then started to fall in December.  Prices since the end of February have risen significantly.

Saudi supplies resume to Orlen

Saudi Aramco has notified at least three European refiners that it will deliver full contractual crude volumes in November, signalling an end to the supply disruption caused by last month's attack on the East-West Pipeline. The pipeline was shut down after a drone strike, prompting Aramco to inform European customers they would receive no crude in October, forcing buyers to scramble for alternative supplies.

Orlen issued more than ten tenders during the outage. The pipeline, with a capacity of 7 million barrels per day, has now restored over 80% of throughput.  While the resumption eases pressure on European markets, continued Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and Saudi west coast infrastructure mean regional supply risks remain unresolved.

This incident has once again exposed the vulnerability of Saudi Arabia's crude export channels. While the East-West Pipeline bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, its overland route faces the same threat of drone and missile attacks. Should similar incidents recur, European buyers may once again find themselves confronting the prospect of sudden supply reductions.

Polish petrochemical production Jan-Aug 2026

Ethylene production in Poland dropped in the first eight months to 136,704 tons against 197,100 tons in January to August 2025, whilst propylene dropped from 265,200 tons to 210,507 tons.  Butadiene production dropped from 36,618 tons to 23,542 tons, whilst phenol production has not taken place so far this year. 

In the plastics sector polyethylene production dropped from 190,400 tons to 113,200 tons, whilst polypropylene dropped from 271,700 tons to 171,500 tons.

Polish monomer imports, Jan-Aug 2026

Butadiene import prices for Poland increased to €972.8 per ton in January-August 2026 against €890.2 per ton for 2025.   Shipments totalled 79,416 tons in the first eight months against 64,538 tons in January to August 2025.  Germany increased exports in 2026 to 37,616 tons versus 22,458 tons in 2025, and Austria reduced shipments to 19,739 tons against 23,696 tons. 

Poland imported 61,672 tons of propylene in January to August 2026, against 60,719 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average import prices for propylene imports into Poland increased from €839.0 per ton in the first eight months in 2025 to €979.5 in 2026, with the second quarter seeing strong rises. Poland exported 5,263 tons of propylene in the first half of 2026, down from 10,571 tons in the period January to August 2025.     

Styrene imports into Poland fell from 72,819 tons in the first eight months in 2025 against 68,327 tons in 2025.  Average prices fell to €1240.1 per ton against €1331.9 per ton in 2025.  US deliveries amounted to 23,071 tons in the first eight months in 2026 followed by 14,470 tons from Saudi Arabia.  Deliveries from Saudi Aramco were last received in May.

Hungarian monomer trade, Jan-Aug 2026

Hungarian butadiene exports amounted to 20,199 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 21,958 tons in the first eight months in 2025.  Exports to Poland declined from 28,142 tons in January to August 2025 to 20,199 tons in 2026, whilst exports to the Czech Republic declined from 4,827 tons to 889 tons.  Prices decreased from €892.3 per ton in 2025 to €894.4 in 2026. 

Exports of propylene from Hungary amounted to 14,920 tons in January to August 2026 against 54,200 tons in January to August 2025.  Propylene production in Hungary has been affected by the lack of crude supply in the first part of 2026.  Imports from the INA refinery in Croatia helped mitigate the short propylene supply.

Styrene imports into Hungary declined from 42,213 tons in January to August 2025 against 40,583 tons in 2026.  Average prices rose to €1475.4 per ton against €1275.8 per ton in 2025. 

Czech olefin monomer trade, Jan-Aug 2026

Czech ethylene imports amounted to only 183 tons in the first eight months this year against 1,948 tons in the same period in 2025.  Czech propylene imports dropped from 41,841 tons to 26,467 tons.  Ethylene exports from the Czech Republic amounted to 6,626 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 9,467 tons in the same period in 2025.

Czech polyethylene trade Jan-Aug 2026

For imports of all forms of polyethylene, Czech inward shipments amounted to 200,142 tons in January to August 2026 against 184,371 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices of imports rose from €1481.9 per ton to €1746.6 per ton.  Germany was the largest source of polyethylene imports, followed by the Netherlands and Belgium.

Polyethylene exports from the Czech Republic amounted to 255,694 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 265,282 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices increased from €1393.1 per ton to €1521.8 per ton. 

HDPE export shipments comprised 225,452 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 219,043 tons in the same period in 2025.  Germany was the largest destination for Czech HDPE supplied from Litvinov.  Other important markets for Czech polyethylene exports include Poland, Italy and Belgium.

Polish polyethylene trade Jan-Aug 2026

Polish imports of polyethylene totalled 993,196 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 942,247 tons in the same period in 2025, with average prices rising from €1115.0 per ton to €1225.3 per ton. 

HDPE is the largest category of imported polyethylene into Poland, amounting to 300,356 tons in January to August 2026 versus 336,112 tons in 2025.  Germany is the largest supplier of HDPE to the Polish market.  

LLDPE imports rose from 149,139 tons in January to August 2025 to 165,104 tons in the corresponding period in 2026.  Most of the LLDPE imports were sourced from West Europe, including France, the Netherlands and Germany. 

LDPE imports declined to 244,656 tons in January to August 2026 from 246,368 tons in the corresponding period in 2025.    Imports from ethylene alpha olefins decreased from 194,888 tons to 178,700 tons. 

Polish polyethylene exports amounted to 173,360 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 222,011 tons in 2025.  Average prices for polyethylene exports increased from €1115.0 per ton to €1251.5 per ton.  A factor behind the decline in exports was lower production at Plock, dropping from 190,400 tons in the first eight months in 2025 to 113,200 tons this year.

Exports of HDPE from Poland amounted to 104,779 tons in January to August 2026 versus 99,958 tons in the same period in 2025 whilst LDPE exports rose from 30,941 tons to 35,363 tons.  Exports of ethylene alpha olefins from Poland amounted to 8,724 tons in January to August 2026.  In addition to the production of ethylene polymers at Plock, exports are assisted by reexported imports.

Hungarian polyethylene trade Jan-Aug 2026

Imports of all grades of polyethylene into Hungary amounted to 107,273 tons in January to August 2026 against 113,006 tons in January to August 2025.  Hungarian import prices for polyethylene amounted to €1742.6 per ton against €1491.2.  The largest category of polyethylene imports comprised HDPE, which dropped from 47,682 tons to 46,972 tons.

Hungarian polyethylene exports amounted to 119,065 tons in January to August 2026 against 189,617 tons in January to August 2025.  Average prices of polyethylene exports rose from €1311.5 per ton to €1452.4 per ton. 

Exports of LDPE from Hungary decreased from 25,859 tons in the first eight months in 2026 to 10,314 tons in January-August 2026.  HDPE exports dropped from 135,339 tons to 94,849 tons in January-August 2026.

Polish PP Trade Jan-Aug 2026

Polish polypropylene imports, including homo grade and copolymers, amounted to 711,692 tons against 645,742 tons in the same period in 2025.   Imports of propylene copolymers rose slightly from 207,954 tons to 216,342 tons. Average prices for all types of polypropylene imports increased from €1416.3 per ton to €1480.2 per ton. 

Export shipments from Poland increased to 177,214 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 213,315 tons in January to August 2025.  Homo polymer grades comprised the main category of Polish polypropylene exports, where Germany was the largest destination.  Average export prices rose from €1300.9 per ton in 2025 to €1509.9.

Czech polypropylene trade Jan-Aug 2026

Exports of all forms of polypropylene from the Czech Republic amounted to 202,418 tons in January to August 2026 versus 193,078 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average export prices rose from €1465.8 per ton in 2025 to €1556.3 per ton in 2026.   For imports of all forms of polypropylene, Czech inward shipments amounted to 362,952 tons in January to August 2026 against 349,369 tons in the same period in 2025, with average prices rising from €1577.8 per ton to €1683.2 per ton. 

Hungarian polypropylene trade Jan-Aug 2026

Exports of all forms of polypropylene from Hungary amounted to 123,872 tons in January to August 2026 versus 158,735 tons in January to August 2025, with average prices adjusting to €1512.9 per ton from €1281.6 last year.  Homo-grade PP provides the main category of Hungarian polypropylene exports, amounting to 54,010 tons versus 71,309 tons in January to August 2025.  

Hungarian synthetic rubber trade Jan-Aug 2026

Hungarian imports of synthetic rubber amounted to 41,137 tons in January to August 2026 against 48,602 tons in January to August 2025.  Average prices dropped from €2465.9 per ton to €2298.6 in 2026.

Butadiene rubber imports into Hungary amounted to 17,806, with the largest source coming from Indonesia.  SBR imports dropped from 26,232 tons to 10,857 tons. 

Synthetic rubber exports from Hungary amounted to 36,243 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 37,766 tons in the same period in 2025.  Prices for exports decreased from €2486.7 per ton to €2248.2 per ton in 2026.

Czech rubber trade Jan-Aug 2026

Exports of synthetic rubber from the Czech Republic amounted to 90,934 tons in January to August 2025 versus 87,596 tons in the same period in 2025.  At the same time imports increased from 89,570 tons to 113,014 tons in 2026.  Natural rubber imports rose from 59,300 tons to 61,664 tons.

Czech synthetic rubber export prices amounted to €2063.4 per ton in 2026 against €2020.5 per ton in 2025 whilst import prices dropped from €2169.4 per ton to €1437.7.   Natural rubber prices decreased last year to €1959.1 per ton from €2155.9 per ton in January to August 2025.

Czech butadiene rubber trade Jan-Aug 2026

The Czech Republic exported 79,779 tons of butadiene rubber in the first eight months against 72,820 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices increased from €1902.8 per ton to €2003.8 per ton.  Czech exports of butadiene rubber to Poland amounted to 12,032 tons in January to August 2026 against 8,660 tons in the same period in 2025.  

Polish rubber trade Jan-Aug 2026

Synthetic rubber exports from Poland amounted to 173,256 tons in January to August 2026 against 170,916 tons in the same period in 2025.   Exports of butadiene rubber from Poland amounted to 36,420 tons in January to August 2026 versus 32,206 tons in the same period in 2025.   The largest category of rubber exports is concentrated on SBR grades.

For all types of synthetic rubber imports into Poland average prices rose from €2289.8 per ton in January to August 2025 to €2434.5 in 2026.  Due largely to demand side factors Poland increased imports from 149,361 tons against 174,286 tons in the same period in 2026. 

Butadiene imports dropped from 33,013 tons to 32,143 tons in the first eight months in 2026 whilst imports of EPDM increased from 21,693 tons to 23,426 tons and block SBR from 21,682 tons to 24,386 tons.

Polish benzene exports Jan-Aug 2026

Polish exports of benzene totalled 126,405 tons in January to August 2026 against 69,995 tons in the same period in 2025.  Exports to Germany increased from 52,367 tons to 56,020 tons in 2026, with average prices rising from €794.5 per ton to €929.7 per ton. 

The average contract price of benzene on the European market declined steadily during 2025 but has since increased due to the Hormuz crisis. 

Polish PTA exports Jan-Aug 2026

PTA exports amounted to 184,983 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 144,211 tons in the same period in 2025.  Exports to Germany rose from 132,485 tons to 170,923 tons.  Average prices for PTA exports from Poland changed from €719.9 per ton to €750.6 per ton in January to August 2026.   

Polish aromatic imports Jan-Aug 2026

Phenol imports into Poland amounted to 87,774 tons in January to August 2026 which was up from 67,173 tons in the same period in 2025.  Germany was the dominant supplier of phenol to Poland, shipping 58,273 tons against 56,027 tons in the same period in 2025.    Average prices for phenol imported into Poland rose from €916.9 per ton to €1211.0 per ton in 2026.  

In other product areas, styrene imports into Poland amounted to 56,854 tons in the period January to August 2026 against 47,622 tons in the same period in 2025.  Aside the Netherlands and Belgium, other supplies came from the US and Saudi Arabia. 

Average prices for styrene imports into Poland dropped from €1353.5 per ton to €1165.8 per ton in 2026.  Ethylbenzene imports amounted to 52,655 tons against 43,704 tons in the same period last year. 

Czech aromatic trade Jan-Aug 2026

Czech aniline exports amounted to 46,600 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 68,161 tons in the same period in 2025.  Hungary was the main recipient, and BorsodChem the customer.  In other areas of Czech aromatic exports benzene dropped 14,199 tons in January to August 2025 against 12,289 tons in 2026.  Ethylbenzene exports amounted to 64,561 tons against 56,912 tons. 

Hungarian benzene imports Jan-Aug 2026

Hungary benzene imports rose from 30,628 tons in the next four months in 2025 to 49,607 tons in the same period in 2025.  Prices rose from €733.8 per ton to €885.1 in 2026.  Imports of toluene dropped from 19,270 tons to 4,568 tons, with prices dropping slightly from €922.3 per ton to €906.2.

Hungarian TDI-MDI exports Jan-Aug 2026

Hungarian TDI exports in January to August 2026 amounted to 104,015 tons against 151,690 tons in January to August 2025.  Average prices rose from €1962.0 per ton to €2146.9 per ton. 

Exports of TDI from Hungary to Belgium amounted to 9,825 tons in January to August 2026 against 21,913 tons in January to August last year, whilst volumes to Italy dropped from 20,607 tons to 9,919 tons.   Exports of TDI from Hungary to Germany amounted to 7,787 tons in January to August 2026 against 9,618 tons in January to August last year.

Shipments to Poland amounted to 16,328 tons against 23,168 tons in 2025 and dropped to Turkey from 18,228 tons to 12,476 tons.  Shipments to Romania amounted to 5,418 tons. 

MDI exports from Hungary amounted in January to August to 168,143 tons against 151,892 tons in January to August 2025.  MDI export prices rose from €1826.7 per ton to €1837.9 per ton in 2025.    The US was the largest destination in the first eight months, taking 42,974 tons from Hungary.

Wanhua Chemical Group said its BorsodChem subsidiary in Hungary completed scheduled maintenance in August on its integrated MDI, TDI and supporting facilities and returned the units to normal production.  Combined capacities of the MDI and TDI plants amount to 650,000 tpa.  The company previously indicated that this is a routine annual maintenance, domestic production bases have maintained stable output, and it will not have a significant impact on the company's overall operations.

Central European isocyanate trade Jan-Aug 2026

TDI imports into Poland amounted to a total of 45,757 tons in January to August 2026 against 49,341 tons in January to August 2025.   Prices of TDI imported into Poland rose from €2031.0 per ton in 2025 to €2129.7 per ton.  Hungary was the largest supplier in the first eight months in 2026, shipping 21,158 tons to Poland.

MDI imports into Poland totalled 124,064 tons in January to August 2026 against 115,188 tons in the same period in 2025.  Germany was the largest supplier to Poland, shipping 37,324 tons in the first eight months followed by Belgium with 25,240 tons. 

Average prices increased from €1891.7 per ton to €2205.6 per ton.  Imports from Hungary dropped from 35,782 tons in the first eight months versus 19,896 tons in the same period in 2026.  China supplied MDI to the Polish market for the first time in the eight months of 2026, amounting to 12,071 tons. 

MDI imports into the Czech Republic totalled 24,889 tons in January to August 2026 against 27,776 tons in the same period in 2025.  The leading supplier this year so far was Belgium with 7,021 tons followed by Hungary with 5,771 tons.  Average prices rose from €1911.2 per ton last year to €2214.2 per ton. 

Hungarian maleic anhydride exports Jan-Aug 2026

Hungary exported 9,989 tons of maleic anhydride in January to August against 8,661 tons in January to August 2025.  Average prices declined from €1346.9 per ton to €1439.5 per ton.  Exports of maleic anhydride to Poland from Hungary dropped from 1,097 tons in 2025 to 936 tons in 2026.

Hungarian aniline & acrylonitrile imports Jan-Aug 2026

Aniline imports into Hungary rose from 38,915 tons in January to August 2025 to 40,470 tons in January to August 2026.  Inward shipments al came from BorsodChem-MCHZ in the Czech Republic.  Cost prices of aniline imports rose from €1393.0 per ton to €1375.6 per ton.

Acrylonitrile imports dropped from 13,587 tons in the first in 2025 to 7,441 tons in the same period in 2026.  Imports from the Netherlands dropped from 748 tons to zero following a plant closure. 

Polish organic chemical imports Jan-Aug 2026

Organic chemical trade in Poland saw higher volumes for exports and lower imports in the first eight months in 2026.  Exports amounted to 1.045 million tons against 995,900 tons last year whilst imports rose from 2.753 million tons to 2.926 million tons.  Due to second quarter rises, average prices for exports rose from €1137.8 per ton to €1264.6 per ton whilst imports increased from €1450.5 per ton to €1501.3 per ton.

Methanol is the largest organic chemical imported into Poland, with volumes totalling 399,785 tons in January to August 2026 against 371,708 tons in the same period in 2025.  

For other organic chemical imports Poland imported 23,065 tons of acetic acid in January to August against 25,984 tons in January to August 2025.  The US provided 11,291 tons this year versus 19,807 tons in the same period in 2025. 

Ethyl acetate imports into Poland amounted to 10,086 tons in January to August 2026 against 9,431 tons in January to August 2025.  Belgium provided the largest share of imports. 

Maleic anhydride imports into Poland amounted to 7,448 tons in January-August 2026, versus 7,148 tons in the previous year.  Imports are currently sourced from Germany, Hungary and South Korea. 

Isopropanol imports into Poland amounted to 7,421 tons in January-August 2026, down from 10,623 tons in the previous year.  Aside Germany, imports come from the Netherlands and South Africa.

Polish glycol/oxide imports Jan-Aug 2026

Ethylene glycol imports into Poland amounted to 26,743 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 18,689 tons in the same period last year.  Belgium is the main supplier of glycols to the Polish market.  PCC Exol is the main consumer of ethylene oxide in Poland.  Polish import prices for ethylene glycol rose to €756.0 per ton in April and €980.9 per ton in June. 

Polish chemical exports-monochloroacetic acid

Monochloroacetic acid is produced by the PCC Group under the entity of PCMAA and is an important export organic chemical, where volumes amounted to 18,835 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 23,473 tons in the same period in 2025. 

PCC Rokita has now approached the group holding PCC Group with the aim of integrating PCC MCAA into its own product structure.  The aim of the integration is to strengthen the PCC Rokita Group's mix of specialist products. 

PCC MCAA is one of the three producers of monochloroacetic acid in Europe.  Monochloroacetic acid is widely used in many industries, including for the production of agrochemicals, plant protection products. 

PCC MCAA is currently in the process of increasing capacity.  The transaction builds value at PCC Rokita, which is buying a company with significant potential and degree of integration.  Having a consumer of chlorine managed from PCC Rokita, the company will also be able to record additional synergy effects. 

Czech organic chemical trade Jan-Aug 2026

Czech organic chemical exports amounted in value to €788.2 million in the first eight months in 2026 against €705.5 million in 2025, with volumes rising from 296,000 tons to 356,500 tons.  The largest export commodity by volume and value consists of ethylbenzene produced at Kralupy, followed by aniline produced at Ostrava.

Other export products included acrylic acid and DINP plasticizers.  Exports of acrylic acid esters amounted to 31,609 tons in the first eight months in 2026 for €48.701 million.  Acrylic acid is produced at Sokolov.  Exports of DINP plasticizers totalled 27,245 tons for €36.495 million.

Imports of organic chemicals into the Czech Republic amounted to €898.2 million in the first eight months in 2026 against €801.0 million in the same period in 2025, with volumes rising from 404,800 tons to 473,800 tons. 

After methanol imports of 2-EH amounted to 13,657 tons in the first eight months and DINP totalled 8,079 tons.

Czech methanol imports Jan-Aug 2026

Czech imports of methanol amounted to 51,048 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 36,438 tons in the same period in 2025.  Prices per ton for methanol imports dropped from €475.0 to €417.9 per ton.  The US supplied 24,255 tons in January to August 2026, whilst imports from Poland amounted to 36,438 tons.

Hungarian methanol imports Jan-Aug 2026

Methanol imports into Hungary in January to August increased to 67,080 tons against 64,593 tons in January to August 2025.  Imports from Germany increased from 26,249 tons to 37,848 tons, replacing sources from Poland and Slovakia. 

Imports from Slovenia into Hungary amounted to 10,845 tons in January to August 2026 against 9,001 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices of methanol imports into Hungary amounted to €476.5 per ton against €475.5 per ton in 2025.

Polish methanol trade Jan-Aug 2026

Polish imports of methanol amounted to 473,730 tons in the first eight months in 2026 against 397,172 tons in January to August 2025.    Average prices dropped to €371.8 per ton against €372.1 per ton in 2025.

The US supplied 166,919 tons of methanol to Poland in the first eight months in 2026 against 80,752 tons in 2025.  Norway was the next largest supplier, shipping 103,829 tons followed by Venezuela with 60,290 tons.  Imports from Belgium declined from 40,804 tons to 27,881 tons in January to August 2026. 

Exports of methanol from Poland increased to 170,261 tons in the first eight months this year against 136,973 tons in the same period last year. Germany was the largest recipient, increasing from 72,332 tons last year to 73,269 tons this year.

Polish exports to Ukraine amounted to 22,947 tons in the first eight months against 15,732 tons in 2025.  At the end of the third quarter the Ukrainian gas company Ukrgasvydobuvannya concluded two contracts for the purchase of methanol for a total amount of €2.67 million, excluding VAT.  The contract with the Polish trader was concluded with Solvachem in Poland for €1.61 million for 3,000 tons of methanol at €535 per ton FCA Szczecin.  The other contract was concluded with Transoil in Lithuania for €1.06 million for the supply 2,000 tons of technical methanol at €531 per ton on FCA Klaipeda terms.

Last time, in August 2026, Ukrgasvydobuvannya ordered methanol to these companies on the same terms from FCA Szczecin and Klaipeda for almost the same amount at €534-541 per ton.  In April 2026, Ukrgasvydobuvannya contracted methanol from these companies on the same terms FCA Szczecin and Klaipeda at €317-333 per ton, which is one and a half times cheaper.  

Czech crude imports January to July 2026

Imports of crude into the Czech Republic amounted to 3.776 million tons in January to July 2026 against 3.703 million tons in January to July 2025.  Imports from Azerbaijan totalled 1.222 million tons against 1.714 million tons in January to July last year.  Replacing Russian sources, imports from Norway amounted to 638,500 tons in January to July 2026 and 1.120 million tons from Saudi Arabia.

Hungarian crude imports January to July 2026

Imports of crude into Hungary amounted to only 1.468 million tons in the first seven months this year against 3.209 million tons in the same period in 2025.  The fall was due to the disruptions incurred on the Druzhba pipeline.  Hungary was able to import only 813,100 tons from Russia in the first seven months against 3.209 million tons last year.  Other supplies came from Slovakia which had used the JANAF pipeline from Croatia.  Slovakia is negotiating a minimum 10-year gas supply contract with Azerbaijan in an effort to diversify Bratislava’s energy sources, although logistical hurdles need to be resolved. 

Polish crude imports January to July 2026

Poland imported 13.066 million tons of crude in January to July 2026 against 14.125 million tons in the same period last year. Saudi Arabia and Norway were the two largest suppliers followed by Guyana.  Prices averaged €578.9 per ton in January to July against €493.5 per ton last year.  The oil price rise in March following the first US attacks on Iran has intensified and prices look set to remain high well into 2027.

Saudi Aramco has been using the Red Sea port of Yanbu to export crude oil after the war restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Orlen is supplied via the port.  Around 40% of the oil processed by Orlen is supplied by Saudi Aramco.

Orlen buys extra cargoes to substitute Saudi shortages

Orlen stated in mid-September that it had bought 16 extra cargoes of oil for its Polish, Lithuanian and Czech ?refineries, after traders were rushing to secure crude to cover disruptions to Saudi supplies at least ?until November.  Orlen stated it had contracted the deliveries from Norway, the UK, Algeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the US.

Saudi ?Arabia's oil industry is grappling with the impact of a wave of attacks by Iran-aligned militia, including one which ?took its East-West Pipeline offline on 10 September.   State-owned Aramco which has been Orlen's largest oil supplier since 2022, providing around 40% of its volumes, has informed European customers some late-September cargoes will be cancelled.

Orlen typically imports 700,000-barrel cargoes.  With current physical oil prices nearing $130 per barrel, the total cost of the additional cargoes could ?be close to $1.5 billion.  Saudi Arabia is unable to state when its East-West Pipeline will re-open and market sources said Orlen is buying to cover demand for September and October.  Orlen has in recent years weaned itself off Russian oil, which made up most ?of its crude intake around a decade ago.  Last month, it signed a deal with ?Norway's Equinor opens new tab ?for Sverdrup crude to cover 25% of its supply needs. 

Central European petrochemical production January to July 2026

Ethylene production in Poland amounted to 123,569 tons in January to July 2026 against 179,400 tons in January to July 2025.  Polish propylene production dropped from 236,200 tons to 176,468 tons.  

Butadiene production at Plock dropped from 33,562 tons to 20,403 tons in January to July 2026.  Nearly all of the butadiene produced at Plock is consumed by Synthos.  In other areas of petrochemical production phenol was not carried out this year. 

In the plastics sector polyethylene production in Poland amounted to 113,200 tons in January to July 2026 versus 177,100 tons in January to July 2025.  Polypropylene production in Poland dropped from 249,400 tons to 144,800 tons, the fall largely due to the continued stoppage at the Police plant.  PVC production at Wloclawek fell from 91,700 tons in January to July 2025 to 86,700 tons in the first seven months this year. 

Nowa Chemia-update

Currently, the level of advancement of the Nowa Chemia project is over 80%.  The first stage comprises deoxygenation of the installation, checking all flange connections: whether the systems themselves are well protected, twisted, and welded. Then hydrocarbons and the first mechanical start-ups are introduced.  Orlen plans to obtain the first quality products from Nowa Chemia in 2029. 

Nowa Chemia will optimize the cost and increase the production capacity of the company's two flagship products: ethylene by 15% to 740,000 tpa, and propylene by 10% to 340,000 tpa.  Nowa Chemia will replace the currently operating Olefin II installation.

Polish monomer import prices Jan-Jul 2026

Polish monomer import prices for butadiene, propylene and styrene stabilised in the third quarter and overall remained higher than in 2025.  Propylene prices averaged €970.9 per ton in the first seven months against €860.5 per ton in the same period last year, whilst butadiene increased from €905.1 per ton to €960.1 per ton.  Styrene monomer import prices for Poland in January to July 2026 averaged €1225.5 per ton which was down from €1331.5 in January to July 2025.

Most of the 53,462 tons of propylene imported into Poland in the first seven months this year came from Germany. 

Currently Orlen is in the process of acquiring the Polimery Police plant from Grupa Azoty and once the PDH plant is running at full capacity import requirements are expected to fall.  Butadiene imports increased to 70,697 tons in the first seven months this year against 57,909 tons in 2025, with Austria, Germany and Hungary as the main suppliers. 

Styrene imports dropped from 62,572 tons to 59,566 tons in January to July 2026.  Shipments from the US increased from 7,947 tons to 19,228 tons whilst shipments from Saudi Arabia dropped from 17,889 tons 14,470 tons.

Hungarian monomer trade, January to July 2026

Exports of propylene from Hungary amounted to only 14,066 tons in January to July 2026 against 53,356 tons in January to July 2025.  Prices dropped sharply from €1045.5 per ton to €949.3 per ton.  All of the propylene this year went to Slovnaft.

Hungarian butadiene exports amounted to 35,197 tons in the first seven months against 42,213 tons in January to July 2025.    Average prices for Hungarian butadiene exports dropped to €894.4 per ton from €908.6 per ton.  Poland was the main recipient in January to July 2026.

Styrene imports into Hungary totalled 35,197 tons in January to July 2026 against 42,213 tons in the first seven months last year, with Italy providing the largest share.   The price for imported styrene into Hungary was €1451.3 per ton against €1287.6 per ton last year. 

MOL’s Olefin-1 plant

MOL’s Olefin-1 plant remains under repair after the explosion on 22 May.  The incident at Tiszaujvaros occurred during the restart of operations following scheduled maintenance, tragically resulting in one fatality and injuring several other workers.  The Olefin-1 facility has a production capacity of approximately 370,000–380,000 tpa and was operating under an extended lifespan at the time of the accident. The damage from the explosion was extensive, and the cracker is expected to remain completely offline for several months.

Because Olefin-1 supplies key feedstocks, the outage has directly restricted feedstock availability (such as pygas) and limited aromatics production, including benzene and toluene, at MOL's integrated Szazhalombatta MOL's second, larger steam cracker at the site (Olefin-2) remains operational and capable of meeting immediate customer needs. Additionally, MOL's regional subsidiaries, such as Slovnaft, have stepped in to help cover aromatics shortfalls.

Czech olefin monomer trade, Jan-Jul 2026

Czech ethylene imports amounted to only 175 tons in the first seven months this year against 2,211 tons in the same period in 2025.  Czech propylene imports dropped from 39,069 tons to 23,359 tons.  Germany supplied nearly all of the propylene.   Butadiene imports into the Czech Republic amounted to 33,435 tons compared to 50,367 tons. 

Styrene imports into the Czech Republic amounted to 14,019 tons in the first seven months in 2026 against 21,103 tons in the same period in 2025. 

Average prices for styrene imports into the Czech Republic dropped from €1205.0 per ton to €1069.9 per ton in the first seven months in 2026. 

Ethylene exports from the Czech Republic amounted to 4,737 tons in the first seven months in 2026 against 7,023 tons in the same period in 2025, whilst propylene exports rose to 3,563 tons.  Most of the ethylene is delivered by pipeline to Bohlen in Germany whilst several thousand tons was exported to Slovnaft in Slovakia last year.

Czech polyethylene trade January to July 2026

For imports of all forms of polyethylene, Czech inward shipments amounted to 176,731 tons in January to July against 184,371 tons in January to July 2025. 

Average prices rose from €1480.2 per ton in the first seven months to €1743.9 per ton in 2026.  Germany is the largest source of polyethylene imports, followed by the Netherlands and Belgium. 

Polyethylene exports from the Czech Republic amounted to 227,498 tons in January to July 2026 against 238,494 tons the first seven months last year.  Average prices increased from €1391.1 per ton to 1536.6 per ton in 2026.

HDPE export shipments from Litvinov comprised 194,635 tons against 202,881 tons in the same period in 2025.  Germany was the largest destination for Czech HDPE supplied from Litvinov.  Other important markets for Czech polyethylene exports include Poland, Italy and Belgium.

Polish polyethylene trade January to July 2026

Polish imports of polyethylene totalled 872,395 tons in January to July 2026 against 827,807 tons in the same period in 2025, with average prices rising from €1269.1 per ton to €1400.3 per ton.  Supplies from Saudi Arabia have been important in the past year and were not affected in the first seven months by the Middle East crisis.

HDPE is the largest category of imported polyethylene into Poland, amounting to 292,581 tons in January to July 2026 versus 261,900 tons in January to July last year. 

LLDPE imports increased from 128,882 tons in January to July 2025 to 141,030 tons in the corresponding period in 2026.  Most of the LLDPE imports were sourced from West Europe, including France, the Netherlands and Germany.  LDPE imports rose to 218,297 tons versus 216,267 tons in January to July 2025.  Imports from ethylene alpha olefins rose from 12,397 tons to 14,730 tons.

Polish polyethylene exports amounted to 153,081 tons in January to July 2026, down from 160,302 tons in January to July last year.  Average prices for polyethylene exports from Poland increased this year to €1241.8 per ton versus €1108.3 per ton last year.

Hungarian polyethylene trade January to July 2026

Hungarian polyethylene exports amounted to 111,038 tons in January to July 2026 against 189,617 tons in January to July 2025, whilst average prices rising from €1033.9 per ton to €1447.8 per ton. 

In terms of category HDPE exports amounted to 84,769 tons in January to July 2026 versus 135,339 tons in January to July 2025, whilst LDPE exports dropped from 25,859 tons to 9,057 tons.   

Imports of all grades of polyethylene into Hungary amounted to 94,935 tons in January to July 2026 against 99,739 tons in January to July 2025.  Hungarian import prices for polyethylene rose from €1497.4 per ton to €1741.0 in 2026.  The largest category of polyethylene imports comprised HDPE, which dropped from 41,956 tons to 40,787 tons. 

Polish PP Trade January to July 2026

Polish polypropylene imports, including homo grade and copolymers, amounted to 626,017 tons in the first seven months against 569,650 tons in January to July last year, with prices rising from €1459.3 per ton to €1417.9 per ton.   Homo grade polypropylene imports rose from 370,631 tons in January to July 2025 against 413,847 tons in January to July 2026, whilst copolymer imports increased from 183,559 tons to 192,492 tons.

Exports of homo polymer grade polypropylene from Poland amounted to 107,784 tons in January to July 2026 against 134,980 tons in January to July 2025.  

Hungarian polypropylene trade January to July 2026

Exports of all forms of polypropylene from Hungary amounted to 117,132 in January to July 2026 versus 110,325 tons in January to July 2025, with average prices adjusting to €1517.1 per ton from €1290.8 last year.  Homo-grade PP provides the main category of Hungarian polypropylene exports, amounting to 59,282 tons versus 74,611 tons in January to July 2025.  

Hungarian inward shipments of polypropylene dropped to 111,860 tons in January to July 2026 against 143,645 tons in January to July 2025, with average prices rising from €1368.5 per ton to €1676.0 per ton.  Imports of propylene copolymers rose from 25,442 tons to 28,411 tons.

Czech polypropylene trade January to July 2026

Exports of all forms of polypropylene from the Czech Republic amounted to 181,060 tons in the first seven months this year versus 173,753 tons in January to July 2025, with average prices rising from €1460.9 per ton to €1560.1 per ton.  

For imports of all forms of polypropylene, Czech inward shipments amounted to 323,421 tons in January to July 2026 from 263,369 tons in January to July 2025, with average prices rising to €1670.3 per ton 

Czech butadiene rubber trade January to July 2026

The Czech Republic exported 70,575 tons of butadiene rubber in January to July 2026 against 57,125 tons in the same period in 2025.  Poland was the largest destination for Czech exports, amounting to 10,743 tons in the first seven months this year against 7,311 tons in the same period in 2025.  Average prices for butadiene rubber dropped from €1929.0 per ton to €1974.0 per ton.  

In overall synthetic rubber trade the Czech Republic imported 102,867 tons in January to July 2026 against 81,665 tons in the same period in 2025, whilst exports rose from 78,476 tons in the first seven months last year to 80,494 tons in January to July 2026.  Imports were supplemented by natural rubber where imports increased from 51,032 tons to 55,972 tons.

Hungarian synthetic rubber trade January to July 2026

Hungarian imports of synthetic rubber amounted to 35,758 tons in January to July 2026 against 48,602 tons in January to July 2025.  Butadiene rubber imports into Hungary amounted to 15,865 tons against 18,142 tons with the largest source coming from Indonesia.  SBR imports into Hungary dropped from 26,232 tons to 13,633 tons.

Synthetic rubber exports from Hungary amounted to 32,652 tons in January to July 2026 down from 33,169 tons in the same period in 2025.  SBR grades accounted for 22,648 tons in the first seven months and butadiene rubber 9,861 tons.  Prices dropped rose from €2831.4 per ton last year to €2597.0 per ton. 

Polish synthetic rubber trade January to July 2026

Export shipments of synthetic rubber from Poland rose from 153,724 tons in the first seven months last year to 156,735 tons in 2026, whilst imports rose slightly from 131,664 tons to 144,482 tons. 

Exports of butadiene rubber from Poland rose in January to July 2026 to 33,533 tons against 28,797 tons in the first seven months last year.  At the same time SBR exports dropped from 112,901 tons to 110,491 tons.  Export prices rose from €1724.5 per ton in the first seven months in 2025 to €1765.7 per ton this year. 

By category, butadiene rubber was the largest product to be imported into Poland in the first seven months amounting to 28,796 tons followed by EPDM which amounted to 21,236 tons.  

Other synthetic rubber grades of importance include block SBR where imports increased from 18,425 tons in the first seven months in 2025 to 21,540 tons in the same period in 2026, whilst imports of SBR rose from 15,213 tons to 18,293 tons.  Imports of halogenated butyl rubber (HBR) increased from 7,475 tons to 11,323 tons.  Imports were divided between Belgium and the US.

Polish benzene exports January to July 2026

Polish exports of benzene totalled 114,831 tons in January to July 2026 against 99,878 tons in January to July last year.  Benzene exports were focused on Germany where 51,480 tons were shipped in the first seven months and 17,902 tons to the Czech Republic.  Prices in January to July this year amounted to €887.0 against €815.0 per ton.   Prices are closely correlated with the rise in crude prices. 

Exports of PTA from Poland amounted to 202,980 tons in January to July 2026 against 179,639 tons in January to July 2025.  Prices rose from €712.2 per ton last year to €763.4 per ton in the first seven months in 2026 although €860 was recorded in May. Shipments to Germany jumped from 164,034 tons to 187,248 tons.

Polish aromatic imports January to July 2026

Average prices for phenol imported into Poland increased to €1178.9 per ton against €922.3 per ton in January to July 2025.  Phenol imports into Poland amounted to 77,392 tons in January to July against 59,780 tons in the same period in 2025.  Germany remains the dominant supplier of phenol to Poland.  Imports increased this year due to the shutdown at the Plock plant.

In other areas of aromatic imports styrene shipments increased from 57,723 tons in the first seven months in 2025 against 61,577 tons in January to July this year.  TDI imports increased from 44,136 tons to 38,996 tons.

Czech aromatic trade January to July 2026

Benzene exports into the Czech Republic amounted to 12,289 tons in the first seven months this year against 9,564 tons in January to July 2025, whilst imports of benzene increased from 17,036 tons to 24,031 tons.  Styrene imports dropped from 21,103 tons in the first seven months to 14,009 tons, with the Netherlands providing 7,251 tons.   

Aniline exports shipped from the Czech Republic amounted to 32,128 tons in January to July 2026 against 50,832 tons in the same period last year.  Ethylbenzene exports from the Czech Republic increased from 47,950 tons to 60,357 tons.

Hungarian benzene trade January to July 2026

Hungarian benzene exports in January to July amounted to 3,154 tons against 19,789 tons in January to July 2025.  Benzene production in Hungary takes place at the Danube refinery at Szazhalombatta.  Export prices amounted to €908.4 in the first seven months in 2026 against €623.6 in the same period last year.   

Imports of benzene increased from 29,110 tons in the first seven months in 2025 to 40,655 tons in January to July 2026.  Imports from Poland decreased from 15,456 tons to 14,734 tons whilst other shipments arrived from Serbia and Slovakia.  Prices increased from €733.8 per ton against €885.1 per ton in 2026.

Hungarian TDI-MDI exports January to July 2026

Hungarian TDI exports fell from 156,138 tons in the first seven months in 2025 to 96,284 tons in January to July this year.  Average prices rose from €1962.0 per ton to €2136.0 per ton.  For raw materials for TDI production BorsodChem sources toluene from MOL which is supplemented by imports. 

In the Central Europe region shipments of TDI from Hungary to Poland dropped from 20,449 tons in January to July 2025 to 15,417 tons in the same month in 2026 and to Turkey shipments were reduced from 17,353 tons to 12,476 tons.  Shipments to Romania rose from 5,151 tons to 5,418 tons.  The major user of TDI in Romania is Chimcomplex where production fell in 2025 due to weak demand. 

In West Europe exports of TDI from Hungary to Belgium dropped from 21,668 tons to 9,757 tons in January to July 2026, whilst volumes to Italy fell from 20,084 tons to 9,554 tons in the same period in 2025.

For the MDI sector, exports from Hungary amounted to 157,208 tons in January to July 2026 against 138,499 tons in January to July 2025.  MDI export prices dropped from €1826.7 per ton to 1745.6 per ton in 2026.  In terms of geographical breakdown, exports to Canada 14,519 tons, and Romania 11,510 tons.