Cabot Expands Battery Materials Platform With $50M DOE Grant
Cabot Corporation is expanding domestic production of advanced conductive additives at its Franklin, Louisiana, and Pampa facilities through a modified $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation. The funding, combined with approximately $75 million of Cabot investment, is intended to meet rising demand for energy storage systems, AI infrastructure, data centers, grid modernization and broader electrification. Under the revised agreement, Cabot will redirect funding from its originally planned Michigan project toward a two-site brownfield expansion, a move expected to accelerate development, improve production efficiency and strengthen supply capabilities. The investment will support Franklin's production of LITX advanced battery-grade conductive carbons, while the Pampa facility will establish Cabot's first commercial-scale production of carbon nanostructures and part of its ENERMAX product family, with both projects expected to become operational by the end of 2028. Cabot's shares have gained 17% year to date compared with the industry's 13.7% rise in the same period.
SCC jumps 3% after ROC resumes operations, KSS maintains 315 baht target
Shares of Siam Cement Public Company Limited, or SCC, rose 2.70% to 266.00 baht after the company announced the restart of production at its ROC plant, which has an olefins production capacity of about 1.35 million tonnes per year, from September 17, 2026, after it secured sufficient feedstock from sources outside the Middle East, such as Malaysia, Africa and other sources, for continuous production. SCC is targeting a combined utilisation rate with its MOC plant, which has a capacity of about 2.05 million tonnes per year, of more than 80%, close to pre-war levels. Krungsri Securities Public Company Limited, or KSS, said the restart of ROC within the late third quarter of 2026 was in line with the company's target, and maintained its "buy" recommendation on SCC with a 2027 target price of 315 baht, naming it one of its top picks, and expects SCC's normal profit in 2026-2028 to grow by an average of 110% per year.
SCGC announces Rayong Olefins plant restart after temporary halt due to Middle East situation
SCG Chemicals, or SCGC, announced that Rayong Olefins Company Limited (ROC), part of the SCGC business group, has successfully restarted its olefins plant after announcing a temporary shutdown in March 2026 due to the Middle East situation. The company conducted a comprehensive assessment of operational readiness as well as safety and environmental standards. Sakchai Patiparnprechavut, Chief Executive Officer and President of SCG Chemicals Public Company Limited, stated that the key factors considered in restarting the ROC plant this time included continuity in feedstock procurement, or feedstock security, and the readiness of the plant, along with the commitment to continuously deliver products to customers, partners, and all stakeholders. Sakchai also emphasized that the Middle East situation remains volatile and uncertain, so SCGC continues to closely monitor the situation and rapidly adjust its strategies to respond on an ongoing basis, focusing on feedstock procurement and on managing feedstock and production as efficiently as possible in order to increase opportunities and build competitiveness, while preparing for the changes in the increasingly challenging global petrochemical industry.
