LyondellBasell stopped its PP2 polypropylene unit at Brindisi, Italy, on 17 October 2026, ten weeks before the closure deadline set in June 2026. The line was the last polypropylene unit at the site and was fed with propylene shipped by sea from Priolo in Sicily, which now loses that outlet. The stoppage was announced by a regional union official, not by LyondellBasell.
Why this mattersThe closure cuts European polypropylene capacity and leaves Priolo's propylene without its established downstream buyer, pressuring the feedstock chain.
- LyondellBasell's PP2 polypropylene line at Brindisi stopped on the morning of Saturday, 17 October 2026
- The shutdown came ten weeks before the deadline set in June 2026
- The line was the last polypropylene unit running at the Brindisi site
- Propylene feedstock for the line had been supplied by sea from Priolo, Sicily
- The closure was disclosed by Antonio Frattini, general secretary of Filctem CGIL Puglia, not by LyondellBasell
LyondellBasell has installed the pyrolysis reactors at its chemical recycling plant in Germany, taking the project out of engineering and into mechanical construction. The plant is designed to turn mixed plastic waste that mechanical recycling cannot handle into a liquid feedstock for crackers. No capacity or commissioning date has been given.
Why this mattersReactor installation narrows the gap between announced and operating European chemical-recycling capacity that supplies recycled polymer feedstock to packaging producers.
- Pyrolysis reactors are now in place at LyondellBasell's German chemical recycling site
- With the reactors installed, the project has passed from engineering to mechanical construction
- The plant will process mixed plastic waste into pyrolysis feedstock for crackers
- LyondellBasell has disclosed neither throughput capacity nor a commissioning date
Plastic Energy has transferred its stake in the TotalEnergies Plastic Energy Advanced Recycling (TEPEAR) facility in Grandpuits, France, giving TotalEnergies full ownership. The plant will keep operating at industrial scale using Plastic Energy's proprietary TAC pyrolysis technology, with the divestment forming part of Plastic Energy's restructuring under returning CEO Carlos Monreal to focus on its Spanish plants and partnerships.
Why this mattersConsolidation of chemical recycling assets under oil majors signals technology licensors retreating from capital-heavy plant ownership toward asset-light licensing models.
- Plastic Energy transferred its stake in the TEPEAR facility in Grandpuits, France, to TotalEnergies.
- TotalEnergies now holds full ownership of TEPEAR.
- The plant continues to use Plastic Energy's proprietary TAC chemical recycling technology.
- Carlos Monreal, Plastic Energy founder, has returned as CEO and is leading a restructuring around core operations.
- Plastic Energy will continue operating chemical recycling plants in Almeria and Seville, Spain.
- Plastic Energy produced its first batch of pyrolysis oil, Tacoil, last year at a joint venture facility with Sabic.
