A $10-billion green hydrogen and green ammonia project at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh is set to cross a major construction milestone with its first large-scale equipment erection ceremony on January 17. The event underscores India’s accelerating push to emerge as a global supplier of green energy, targeting export markets such as Germany, Japan and Singapore.

One of India’s Largest Clean Energy Investments

With a total planned investment of $10 billion, the project ranks among the largest clean-energy investments ever undertaken in India. In addition, the project will create significant high-skill employment during operations. It will also generate jobs across allied sectors, including renewable energy generation, logistics, storage, and port services.

World’s Largest Green Ammonia Complex in the Making

AM Green is developing India’s first—and the world’s largest—green ammonia complex with a planned capacity of 1.5 million tons per annum. Importantly, the project involves the brownfield conversion of an existing ammonia-urea facility, enabling faster scale-up while leveraging existing infrastructure.

Phased Commissioning Roadmap

Massive Integrated Renewable Energy Backbone

The integrated complex is supported by a large renewable energy ecosystem. It includes 7.5 gigawatts of solar and wind capacity, 1,950 megawatts of electrolyser capacity, and 2 gigawatts of round-the-clock renewable power. Pumped hydro storage backs the system. It includes India’s first such facility at Pinnapuram in Andhra Pradesh and ensures reliable, continuous operations.

Securing Global Offtake and Export Linkages

Aligned with Andhra Pradesh’s Clean Energy Vision

The Meraxis Group appointed Christophe Cario as Managing Director of its subsidiary, Fournier Polymers, effective January 1, 2026. Cario now leads the distribution company, which has been part of the Meraxis Group since 2023. With this appointment, Meraxis reinforces its strategy to deepen its footprint across Europe and North Africa while strengthening its polymer and additives portfolio.

Strengthening Presence in Key Markets

Fournier Polymers is among the leading distributors of standard and technical polymers and additives in Europe and North Africa. By placing experienced leadership at the helm, Meraxis aims to accelerate growth in these regions and enhance value for customers through a broader, more specialized product offering.

CEO Highlights Strategic Fit

Dr. Stefan Girschik, CEO of the Meraxis Group, said that Cario brings the ideal combination of market insight, strategic thinking, and technical expertise required for the company’s next phase of growth. He noted that Cario’s experience in developing customer-focused solutions and building international markets will further sharpen Fournier Polymers’ positioning within the Meraxis Group. As a result, customers will benefit not only from an expanded portfolio—particularly in technical polymers—but also from Meraxis’ comprehensive service capabilities, including application-oriented consulting, global logistics, and reliable supply.

Extensive Experience in Polymer Distribution

Cario brings more than two decades of experience in international polymer and chemical distribution. Most recently, he served as Managing Director France & North Africa at the Biesterfeld Group, where he led operations across European and North African markets. Earlier in his career, he held several senior leadership roles at A. Schulman (now part of LyondellBasell), including EMEA Head of Sales & Marketing for Specialty Powders and Technical Polymers Distribution Manager EMEA. His core strengths include strategic market development and the establishment and scaling of international sales organizations.

Strong Academic and Technical Foundation

Cario holds a Master of Science in Polymer Science from the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, as well as a Master in Management from Montpellier Business School, equipping him with both deep technical knowledge and strong business acumen.

Focus on Portfolio Expansion and Customer Value

Expressing his enthusiasm for the new role, Cario said that Meraxis stands for a broad product range combined with application-driven consulting, global logistics, and dependable availability. He added that he looks forward to contributing to the continued development of Fournier Polymers and the wider Meraxis Group.

Aligned with Meraxis’ Long-Term Strategy

Cario succeeds Emmanuel Tarret, Chief Operating Officer of Meraxis, who had been serving as Managing Director of Fournier Polymers in addition to his other responsibilities. Cario will now report directly to Tarret. Overall, this appointment underscores Meraxis’ long-term strategic direction. As per the press release, following the acquisition of Fournier Polymers and the integration of the Velen compounding plant, the group continues to strengthen its position across the entire plastics value chain.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) urged the government to introduce green hydrogen mandates backed by targeted incentives to accelerate India’s clean energy transition. According to CII, policy-led demand creation is essential to unlock large-scale adoption and support the country’s decarbonisation goals.

Hard-to-Abate Sectors Poised for Early Adoption

CII highlighted that industries currently dependent on grey hydrogen, including oil refining, fertilisers, and natural gas, are well positioned to shift to green hydrogen at scale. However, the industry body cautioned that cost competitiveness remains a critical challenge. “The price gap between green and grey hydrogen is a major barrier. Mandates supported by incentives can bridge this gap by providing demand certainty and enabling faster cost reductions through economies of scale,” CII said.

Phased Mandates and Cost-Offset Mechanisms Proposed

To address cost concerns, CII recommended phased adoption mandates combined with cost-offset mechanisms. These include carbon credit allocations for emissions reductions, cross-subsidisation in the fertiliser sector through blending cheaper natural gas with green hydrogen, and viability gap funding to ease the financial burden on consumers and industry. Together, these measures would help accelerate adoption while managing near-term cost pressures.

Public Procurement Can Anchor Early Demand

CII also proposed leveraging public infrastructure projects—including housing, railways, ports, and bridges—to create predictable demand for green hydrogen-based materials. Mandating that 10–15% of inputs such as steel, cement, and ammonia used in government projects come from green hydrogen routes could significantly lower production costs through scale and reduce investment risks for producers.

Green Hydrogen Clusters to Support Industry and MSMEs

To widen adoption, CII recommended developing industrial green hydrogen clusters with shared infrastructure. Such clusters would support MSMEs in sectors like ceramics, glass, and chemicals, which currently face high grey hydrogen costs and limited access to clean alternatives.

Strengthening Export Competitiveness

Looking beyond domestic markets, CII called for bilateral trade agreements with countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, and South Korea to boost green hydrogen exports. Key recommendations include harmonising Indian standards with global norms, simplifying trade documentation, and granting green hydrogen products ‘deemed export’ status to enable access to export-linked incentives.

Mobilising Capital Through Financial Innovation

Finally, CII emphasised the need to attract private investment into early-stage green hydrogen projects. As reported by knnindia.co.in, developing innovative financial instruments and risk-mitigation mechanisms would make Indian projects more globally competitive and accelerate commercial adoption.

Larsen & Toubro’s Hydrocarbon Onshore business vertical (L&T Onshore) bagged a large engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) order from Petronet LNG Ltd. Petronet LNG is a joint venture promoted by four leading public sector undertakings—ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL (India), and Bharat Petroleum Corporation. The order further reinforces L&T’s strong position in executing complex hydrocarbon and petrochemical infrastructure projects in India.

Scope Covers LNG, Ethane and Propane Storage Infrastructure

The scope includes a 1,70,000 cubic metre LNG/ethane double-wall storage tank and a 1,40,000 cubic metre propane double-wall storage tank. In addition, L&T Onshore will develop ethane and propane handling and despatch facilities. These facilities will support the downstream Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH) and Polypropylene (PP) plant.

Supporting India’s First Integrated Cold Energy Petrochemical Complex

Importantly, the project forms a key part of India’s first petrochemical complex that integrates LNG cold energy utilisation. By leveraging cold energy from the LNG terminal, the facility aims to improve energy efficiency while supporting large-scale petrochemical production. Once operational, the complex is expected to help bridge India’s domestic polypropylene demand–supply gap, thereby reducing import dependence.

Aligned with Aatmanirbhar Bharat Vision

The project aligns closely with the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative by strengthening indigenous petrochemical manufacturing capabilities and promoting self-reliance in critical materials. At the same time, the order reflects the industry’s continued confidence in L&T’s ability to deliver complex projects within stringent timelines. It also underscores L&T’s commitment to the highest standards of safety, quality, and operational excellence.

Leadership Comments Highlight Strategic Importance

Subramanian Sarma, Deputy Managing Director and President, L&T, said, “This order allows us to contribute to India’s first integrated petrochemical complex leveraging LNG cold energy. It aligns with the nation’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision and strengthens indigenous petrochemical capacity”. E. S. Sathyanarayanan, Senior Vice President and Head of L&T Onshore and Member of L&T’s Executive Committee, added that the order underscores L&T’s execution capabilities. “Securing this prestigious order from Petronet LNG is a strong endorsement of our expertise in executing complex EPCC projects. We remain fully committed to delivering this project safely, efficiently and within the agreed timelines, while upholding the highest standards of quality,” he said.

L&T Onshore’s Strong EPC Track Record

As India’s domestic chemical market heads toward a $300 billion milestone by 2030, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) has outlined a ten-point blueprint to help Indian chemical companies scale into global industry leaders. According to the report, the sector has reached a critical inflection point where incremental growth strategies are no longer sufficient.

“India’s domestic chemical market is projected to grow from nearly $150 billion today to over $300 billion by 2030,” the report noted. “Capital availability is strong, equity markets remain supportive, debt is accessible for the right projects, and targeted manufacturing incentives are in place,” the report further mentioned.

From Sustained Returns to Global Scale

While Indian chemical companies have delivered world-leading shareholder returns over the past two decades, BCG highlights a decisive shift in priorities. The focus must now move from sustaining momentum to building global scale and competitiveness. “ChemCos today have the capability, capital, and credibility,” said Amit Gandhi, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG India. “What they need next is bold ambition and deliberate choices. The next global chemical giants can be built from India—but not by doing more of the same,” Gandhi added.

Five Strategic Moves to Unlock Scale

The blueprint outlines five strategic moves that transform national champions into billion-dollar global players.

*First, BCG urges companies to shift from selling volumes to solving specific customer chemistry problems, enabling deeper integration and higher value creation.

*Second, firms should make one bold, decadal bet by aligning early with major capex supercycles, allowing them to capture outsized returns in the 2030s.

*Third, the report recommends carefully choosing where to play in the value chain. Companies should balance high-growth opportunities with more stable segments that generate consistent cash flows.

*Fourth, BCG encourages targeted acquisitions of mid-sized European or Japanese companies. These acquisitions help firms gain access to intellectual property, advanced technologies, and established global markets.

Finally, companies should establish a dedicated partnerships office that acts as a global gateway to India, accelerating collaboration and market access.

Five Organisational Capabilities for Long-Term Leadership

In parallel, the blueprint outlines five organisational capabilities critical to sustaining global competitiveness.

*First, companies must build true marketing muscle, with teams that understand branding, global sales dynamics, and digital engagement.

*Second, firms should leverage digital and AI technologies to drive margin improvements of 200–300 basis points. They should embed advanced analytics at the core of operations.

*Third, BCG calls for intentional professionalisation, including stronger HR processes, robust talent pipelines, and clear succession planning.

*Fourth, the report urges companies to act like chemical-focused venture capitalists. They should actively partner with startups developing breakthrough technologies with long-term payoffs beyond 2030.

*Fifth, firms should invest deeply in one or two foundational R&D fields. They should commit USD 2.5–5 million annually to build differentiated, long-term innovation capabilities.

Rewiring Operating Models for Global Competitiveness

Amita Parekh, Managing Director and Partner at BCG India, emphasised that true scale depends on companies redesigning their operating models. She noted that effective redesign is key to long-term competitiveness.“Improving margins through digital and AI, investing consistently in R&D, and building strong global partnerships are no longer optional—they are essential to long-term competitiveness,” she said.

Import dependencies are rising, and there are significant gaps in specialty and advanced materials. Parekh added that Indian chemical companies face a rare strategic opportunity. Tribuneindia.com reports that Indian chemical companies can position India as a critical hub in the global chemical ecosystem. They can achieve this by localising production, accelerating innovation, and integrating into global value chains.

Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd bagged the EcoVadis Platinum Medal for the second consecutive year, placing the company among the top 1% of more than 1,50,000 organisations assessed globally. The recognition underscores Himadri’s strong and consistent performance across key sustainability parameters.

EcoVadis evaluated the company against 21 sustainability criteria spanning four core pillars —Environment, Labour and Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. The assessment aligns with leading international frameworks, including the UN Global Compact, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).

Sustainability Embedded in Core Operations

Himadri continues to back its sustainability strategy with targeted investments in energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and circular economy initiatives. As part of this commitment, the company operates eight zero-liquid discharge manufacturing facilities, reinforcing its focus on responsible water management. In addition, Himadri meets 100% of its electrical energy requirements through in-house clean power, significantly reducing its environmental footprint while enhancing operational resilience.

Leadership Perspective on ESG Integration

Anurag Choudhary, CMD and CEO of Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd, said the back-to-back Platinum rating validates the company’s approach to embedding sustainability into business strategy and decision-making processes. He added that this recognition comes at a time when Himadri is expanding its global footprint across 56 countries, ensuring that growth remains aligned with robust ESG principles.

Strengthening Global Value Chain Partnerships

As a pioneer in lithium-ion battery materials manufacturing in India, Himadri has built a diversified product portfolio that includes speciality carbon black, coal tar pitch, and advanced materials. The company serves a wide range of end-use sectors such as paints, plastics, aluminium, and defence. As reported by filingreader.com, by achieving consecutive EcoVadis Platinum ratings, Himadri further strengthens its position as a trusted partner in global value chains, while aligning with evolving regulatory requirements and growing stakeholder expectations around ESG performance and transparent sustainability reporting.

Jubilant Biosys Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jubilant Pharmova Limited, announced the opening of a new discovery and preclinical facility in Noida (Delhi NCR). With this expansion, the global CRDMO now operates five sites across India and Europe. It has doubled its overall chemistry capacity for discovery research and early-stage scale-up projects. This strategic investment strengthens the company’s ability to support growing client demand, particularly for fee-for-service (FFS) programs.

Integrated Discovery and Scale-Up Capabilities

The multimillion-dollar facility brings together discovery research and early-phase scale-up under one roof. It houses advanced R&D laboratories alongside two dedicated pilot plants, enabling faster project progression from concept to scalable processes. As demand for flexible and low-risk development models increases, the facility positions Jubilant Biosys to deliver integrated, end-to-end chemistry solutions more efficiently.

Accelerating Client Programs with Faster, Seamless Transfers

Giuliano Perfetti, CEO, Jubilant Biosys Limited, said, “With improving funding conditions, we expect even stronger demand next year. This new facility doubles our capabilities, allowing us to deliver discovery projects faster and seamlessly transfer them to our GMP facilities for IND filings and commercial phases”.

Strengthening the Noida Chemistry Innovation Ecosystem

The facility complements the company’s existing Chemistry Research Innovation Centre (CRIC) in Greater Noida. It creates a fully unified route from discovery to scale-up for biotech and pharma partners. Collectively, Jubilant Biosys now employs more than 1,300 scientists across its global operations. The Noida site adds multiple manufacturing lines and has already onboarded several new clients, reinforcing the company’s growth momentum.

Designed for Flexibility, Scale, and Future Expansion

Designed to handle batch sizes ranging from hundreds of grams to 25 kg, the small-molecule hub integrates two pilot plant blocks with co-located discovery laboratories. The facility features 20,000 sq ft of state-of-the-art R&D space and is equipped with 15 reactors, ranging from 20 litres to 250 litres. Importantly, the site has been engineered for future growth, with the potential to quadruple capacity as client requirements continue to expand.

Rising Demand Drives Strong Financial Performance

Jubilant Biosys works with 8 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies. Earlier this year, the company reported a 42% year-on-year increase in Q1 FY26 revenue from drug discovery projects, driven largely by rising demand for FFS contracts.

End-to-End Chemistry Services from a Single Campus

From the Noida campus, innovators gain access to a comprehensive suite of services. These include route scouting, process design and optimisation, and scalable synthesis development. Additional offerings include analytical support, salt screening, polymorph evaluation, and seamless technology transfer to pilot plants. As per the press release, these capabilities reinforce Jubilant Biosys’ position as a trusted partner. They help accelerate drug discovery and early development programs.

Beijing has approved more than thirty projects aimed at producing critical raw materials from coal instead of oil, reflecting a strategic effort to reduce reliance on imported crude. The move focuses on manufacturing plastics, synthetic rubber, and fibers from domestic coal reserves, strengthening China’s energy security and industrial self-sufficiency.

Coal as a Feedstock for Olefins

China is leveraging its vast coal reserves to produce olefins, a key ingredient for tens of thousands of chemical products. While companies traditionally derive most olefins from oil, coal-based production provides significant cost advantages and reduces their dependence on imported fuel—an increasingly important factor amid global energy market uncertainties.

Scale and Scope of Coal-to-Olefins Projects

Since the initiative began, Beijing has approved a total of 36 projects, with 20 already operational, mainly in coal-rich regions like Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. These projects together contribute an annual capacity of over 24 million tonnes of coal-derived feedstocks, according to China Science Daily.

Advanced Technology Behind the Process

The projects employ a process developed by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, where coal is first converted into methanol, which is then transformed into olefins. Each plant can process 3.6 million tons of methanol per year, producing more than 1 million tonnes of olefins annually.

AI Accelerates Development

Researchers are also harnessing artificial intelligence to optimize plant operations and accelerate project development. AI-based modelling allows engineers to simulate production processes, increasing efficiency and reducing risks in scaling up coal-to-olefins facilities.

Strategic Importance for Energy Security

“This technology has driven the rapid growth of China’s coal-to-olefins industry,” said Liu Zhongmin, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Dalian Institute. “It plays a critical role in mitigating oil supply shortages, ensuring energy security, and supporting stable operations across the petrochemical value chain,” Zhongmin added.

Mars Materials, a Houston-based startup focused on carbon dioxide utilisation, has been accepted into the Shell GameChanger program, marking a major milestone in its mission to transform acrylonitrile production. The selection positions the company to accelerate the development and commercialisation of a more sustainable pathway for producing this critical chemical building block. Acrylonitrile plays a central role in manufacturing carbon fibre, durable plastics, textiles, and polymers. However, conventional production methods depend heavily on fossil-based feedstocks and complex global supply chains, often resulting in high environmental impact.

Rethinking Acrylonitrile Through Carbon Utilisation

Mars Materials is addressing these challenges by developing a novel production process that uses captured carbon dioxide, with plans to incorporate bio-based feedstocks. By reducing reliance on traditional raw materials, the company aims to deliver a cleaner, more resilient supply chain for acrylonitrile. Importantly, Mars Materials’ proprietary process is hydrogen cyanide-free, offering significant safety and environmental advantages over conventional technologies.

Shell GameChanger Accelerates Technology Development

The Shell GameChanger initiative supports high-potential startups by providing technical expertise, commercial guidance, and market insights. Through this program, Mars Materials successfully completed the initial evaluation stage, demonstrating the scalability and disruptive potential of its acrylonitrile technology. As a result, the company expects to significantly shorten its development timeline while strengthening its route to market.

Leadership Highlights the Impact of Collaboration

“We’re thrilled to be part of Shell GameChanger, which exemplifies collaboration between startups and large corporations to drive commercial innovation,” said Aaron Fitzgerald, CEO and Co-Founder of Mars Materials. “Shell’s support has accelerated our development timeline by an estimated three years, validating both the technology and the growing market demand for sustainable chemical solutions,” he added.

From Pilot Scale to Commercial Readiness

Mars Materials has already demonstrated its process at its Cassini pilot plant, successfully scaling production from gram-level to kilogram-level quantities. Looking ahead, the company plans to further expand capacity and introduce bio-based sugar feedstocks, strengthening its competitive advantage over conventional acrylonitrile production. At the same time, the Shell GameChanger program enables Mars Materials to pursue market discovery and commercial demonstration. It also helps the company connect with potential partners and refine its go-to-market strategy.

Driving the Future of Sustainable Materials

With growing momentum from its collaboration with Shell, Mars Materials is now focused on attracting additional investments and grant funding to support the next phase of development. The company is also actively building strategic partnerships to scale its carbon utilisation technology.

More broadly, this collaboration reflects a wider shift across the materials and chemicals industries toward low-carbon innovation. As reported by third-news.com, as companies seek to reduce their environmental footprint, solutions that convert captured carbon into high-value products are becoming increasingly essential. Through its cutting-edge approach, Mars Materials is not only advancing its own technology but also helping shape the future of sustainable materials production.

Arkema, a global player in specialty materials, significantly strengthened its sustainability credentials by adding ten coating solutions production sites to its list of ISCC PLUS-certified facilities in 2025. As a result, more than 70% of the Group’s coating facilities worldwide are now certified, marking a major milestone in Arkema’s decarbonisation journey. These certified sites cover a broad spectrum of technologies, including advanced liquid resins, waterborne resins, rheology and specialty additives, powder resins, UV/LED/EB technologies, and acrylic monomers.

Enabling Low-Carbon, Bio-Attributed Coating Solutions

With this expanded certification footprint, Arkema can now offer an extensive portfolio of bio-attributed coating solutions delivering a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) reduction of at least 20% compared with fossil-based equivalents. Importantly, this progress enables customers to integrate lower-carbon raw materials without compromising on performance or reliability. Moreover, the certification ensures full traceability of renewable feedstocks across the value chain, reinforcing Arkema’s commitment to transparency and responsible sourcing.

Supporting Customers’ Sustainability and Performance Goals

As per the press release, by accelerating ISCC PLUS certification, Arkema directly supports customers in implementing more sustainable solutions for coatings, adhesives, and related applications. These solutions contribute to critical global priorities such as energy efficiency, infrastructure development, e-mobility, advanced technologies, urbanisation, and improved living comfort. At the same time, Arkema has taken a methodical and strategic approach to certification, prioritising technologies and sites where sustainability gains can deliver the greatest impact across the value chain.

A Comprehensive, Global Certification Strategy

“Today, we have achieved ISCC PLUS certification across our global network for a wide range of coating technologies, from monomers to advanced resins and specialty additives,” said Richard Jenkins, Senior Vice-President Coating Solutions and Global President, Coating Resins at Arkema. “This ensures that customers worldwide now have access to bio-attributed grades that significantly reduce product carbon footprints and help accelerate their sustainability ambitions,” he added.

Collaboration at the Core of Decarbonisation Efforts

In parallel, Arkema Coating Solutions announced several partnership and cooperation initiatives in 2025, working closely with suppliers, distributors, formulators, and end-user organisations. These collaborations support both the company’s short- and long-term commitments to reducing the carbon footprint of coatings and related products globally. “We believe the only way the industry can reach the goals we have set is by working together,” Jenkins said. “Innovation at the raw material level must align with efforts at the formulator and end-user levels. Arkema has been highly successful in building upstream and downstream partnerships that share this mindset and are actively driving meaningful change,” he added.