Americas top stories: weekly summary

HOUSTON (ICIS)–Here are the top stories from ICIS News from the week ended 13 December.

Dow’s $2.4-3.0 billion infrastructure deal larger than expected
Dow signed a deal to sell a minority stake in its US Gulf Coast infrastructure assets to a fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management for up to $3.0 billion – larger than expected, according to UBS.

PCC’s proposed USG chlor-alkali unit to add caustic length in unique development
US caustic soda supplies will continue to grow in the coming years following an announcement by PCC Group that it intends to invest in a new 340,000 tons/year chlor-alkali plant at DeLisle, Mississippi. The new capacity will be built on Chemours site at DeLisle Mississippi with the intent to provide Chemours with reliable access to chlorine. The company intends to sell its caustic soda to strategic partners and into the open market. Construction on the unit is expected to begin in early-2026 and conclude in 2028.

INSIGHT: New gas pipeline to provide support for ethane prices for US chems
A new gas pipeline set to be built by Energy Transfer should provide support for natural gas and ethane prices in the Permian producing basin, lowering the likelihood that US chemical producers see another period of ultra-low costs for the main feedstock used to make ethylene.

Olin to shut diaphragm chloralkali capacity that serves Dow’s Freeport PO unit
Olin plans to shut down its diaphragm-grade chloralkali capacity in Freeport, Texas, that provides feedstock to Dow’s propylene oxide (PO) unit, the US-based chloralkali producer said on Thursday.

ACC expects modest US chemicals volume recovery in 2025 – economist
The American Chemistry Council (ACC) expects a 1.9% rebound in chemical volumes in 2025 after two consecutive years of declines as the US economy undergoes a soft landing and the housing market improves in the second half of the year, its chief economist said.