Analysis of the profitability of the West European refining and petrochemical industry for the first quarter of 2016.

The report includes monthly price and profitability analysis for ammonia and urea with a detailed discussion on the market forces (affecting price and profitability) over the fourth quarter of 2015 in the United States, Western Europe, Middle East and China. Outlook on firm global capacity developments in 2015 to 2019 period is also provided. The newly added 'Key Trends and Challenges’ section discusses the impact of oil prices on the nitrogen fertilizer industry.

Regional round-up of industry developments, regional pricing analysis, and capacity expansions are provided for Q4 2015. 

This report provides a strategic assessment of the key elements of change expected in the petrochemical industry from the renewed acceptance and likely easing of sanctions in Iran.  Before sanctions took hold and curtailed the development of the largely export-oriented industry, Iran had ambitious plans to develop a world scale petrochemical industry. When this development stalled other Middle Eastern players took advantage of the opportunity. However, a re-emergence of petrochemical momentum in Iran would undoubtedly have implications for the rest of the Middle East industry and how it develops.  Nexant looks at the current state of the industry in Iran and evaluates how it will develop, assessing the real opportunities for investors and how this will impact the global markets.