Lack of snow reduces Mississippi flood risk: NWS

Market: Agriculture, Biofuels, Chemicals, Coal, Coking coal, Fertilizers, Freight, Metals, Oil products, Petrochemicals
15/03/24

The Mississippi River faces below normal flood risk this spring because of historically low snowpack, meaning barges carrying fertilizer and other commodities may experience fewer delays from high water.

The lack of snowpack in the Mississippi River basin resulted from persistent drought since last September and unseasonably warm temperatures across the Northern Plains, which prevented a base layer of heavy snow from forming, the National Weather Service (NWS) said in its final spring flood outlook on 14 March.

Meteorologist Brennan Dettmann told Argus there is no snowpack in Minnesota, with only a light covering along the northern border, making for one of five driest years since the NWS began recording snowpack in 1872.

There is no snow at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport this week compared to 10 inches of snow on the ground a year ago. This year, the most amount of snow on the ground at the airport was 7 inches on 14 February, according to NWS.

Risk of flooding for the upper Mississippi River and tributaries will be entirely dependent on rainfall, with much of the basin already in a precipitation deficit because of the drought.

Barges have been navigating through the upper Mississippi and will soon reach the Twin Cities after locks open tonight at midnight. This time last year, tows were just breaking the ice on Lake Pepin, signaling safe passage to begin through the upper Mississippi River.

By Meghan Yoyotte

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

News

14/04/25

Funding cuts could delay US river lock work: Correction

Corrects lock locations in paragraph 5. Houston, 14 April (Argus) — The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will have to choose between various lock reconstruction and waterway projects for its annual construction plan after its funding was cut earlier this year. Last year Congress allowed the Corps to use $800mn from unspent infrastructure funds for other waterways projects. But when Congress passed a continuing resolutions for this year's budget they effectively removed that $800mn from what was a $2.6bn annual budget for lock reconstruction and waterways projects. This means a construction plan that must be sent to Congress by 14 May can only include $1.8bn in spending. No specific projects were allocated funding by Congress, allowing the Corps the final say on what projects it pursues under the new budget. River industry trade group Waterways Council said its top priority is for the Corps to provide a combined $205mn for work at the Montgomery lock in Pennsylvania on the Ohio River and Chickamauga lock in Tennessee on the Tennessee River since they are the nearest to completion and could become more expensive if further delayed. There are seven active navigation construction projects expected to take precedent, including the following: the Chickamauga and Kentucky Locks on the Tennessee River; Locks 2-4 on the Monongahela River; the Three Rivers project on the Arkansas River; the LaGrange Lock on the Illinois River; Lock 25 on the Mississippi River; and the Montgomery Lock on the Ohio River. There are three other locks in Texas, Pennsylvania and Illinois that are in the active design phase (see map) . By Meghan Yoyotte Corps active construction projects 2025 Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Find out more

News

GM stopping, slowing Ontario EV van production

14/04/25

News

14/04/25

GM stopping, slowing Ontario EV van production

Houston, 14 April (Argus) — US automaker General Motors will stop and then reduce production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van at the Ingersoll, Ontario, assembly plant, initiating layoffs of nearly 500 workers, according to Canada's private sector union Unifor. GM will begin temporary layoffs on 14 April, with workers returning in May for limited production. After that, operations will be idled until October 2025, Unifor said. When production resumes, the plant will operate on a single shift for the foreseeable future — a reduction that will lead to the indefinite layoff of nearly 500 workers. During the downtime, GM plans to complete retooling work to prepare the facility for production of its 2026 model-year commercial electric vehicles. GM sold 274 BrightDrop vans in the first quarter, up 7pc from a year earlier. While GM remains committed to the Ortario facility with planned 2026 upgrades, its future is uncertain without stronger domestic support and fair market access, according to Unifor. "The reality is the US is creating industry turmoil," said Unifor National President Lana Payne, referring to sweeping global US tariffs. "Trump's short-sighted tariffs and rejection of electric vehicle technology is disrupting investment and freezing future order projections." By Carol Luk Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

IMO GHG pricing not yet Paris deal-aligned: EU

14/04/25

News

14/04/25

IMO GHG pricing not yet Paris deal-aligned: EU

Brussels, 14 April (Argus) — The International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) global greenhouse gas (GHG) pricing mechanism "does not yet ensure the sector's full contribution to achieving the Paris Agreement goals", the European Commission has said. "Does it have everything for everybody? For sure, it doesn't," said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the commission's climate and energy spokesperson said. "This is often the case as an outcome from international negotiations, that not everybody gets the most optimal outcome." The IMO agreement reached last week will need to be confirmed by the organisation in October, the EU noted, even if it is a "strong foundation" and "meaningful step" towards net zero GHG emissions in global shipping by 2050. The commission will have 18 months following the IMO mechanism's formal approval to review the directive governing the bloc's emissions trading system (ETS), which currently includes maritime emissions for intra-EU voyages and those entering or leaving the bloc. By EU law, the commission will also have to report on possible "articulation or alignment" of the bloc's FuelEU Maritime regulation with the IMO, including the need to "avoid duplicating regulation of GHG emissions from maritime transport" at EU and international levels. That report should be presented, "without delay", following formal adoption of an IMO global GHG fuel standard or global GHG intensity limit. Finland's head representative at the IMO delegation talks, Anita Irmeli, told Argus that the EU's consideration of whether the approved Marpol amendments are ambitious enough won't be until "well after October". Commenting on the IMO agreement, the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) pointed to the "neutral" approach to feedstocks, including first generation biofuels. "The EBB welcomes this agreement, where all feedstocks and pathways have a role to play," EBB secretary general Xavier Noyon said. Faig Abbasov, shipping director at non-governmental organisation Transport and Environment, called for better incentives for green hydrogen. "The IMO deal creates a momentum for alternative marine fuels. But unfortunately it is the forest-destroying first generation biofuels that will get the biggest push for the next decade," he said. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Semiconductors alter minor metal demand/supply balances

14/04/25

News

14/04/25

Semiconductors alter minor metal demand/supply balances

London, 14 April (Argus) — Evolving semiconductor technologies and growing chip consumption across a range of applications are changing demand and supply dynamics in several minor metal markets, delegates heard at the Minor Metals Trade Association's annual conference in Lisbon last week. In the hafnium market, demand from the semiconductor industry could surpass that of super-alloys for the largest share of demand in the next five years, metal and alloy producer Nanoscale Powders president Andrew Matheson said. Semiconductor demand for hafnium could climb to 64 t/yr by 2030, up by 24pc from 40 t/yr in 2024, outpacing 5pc growth in nickel super-alloy demand to 60 t/yr from 45 t/yr. This would also outpace 3pc growth in critical nuclear uses to 18 t/yr. It is unclear whether there is sufficient room to expand hafnium supply to meet the projected demand growth, Matheson said. Global production totalled about 138t in 2024, well below estimated nameplate capacity of 245t. Hafnium and compounds including hafnium oxide (HfO2) have several uses in semiconductor manufacturing, including as a gate insulator in field-effect transistors; in dynamic random-access memory capacitors to enhance capacitance, reduce power leakage and act as a protective barrier layer; and in filaments, electrodes and ultra-thin films in semiconductor fabrication. HfO2 can retain data even without power, providing potential for new types of non-volatile memory. As a result, general growth in semiconductor demand in a range of electronics, telecommunications, automotive and industrial applications is set to boost hafnium demand in semiconductor manufacturing. In addition, growing demand for memory capacity for artificial intelligence (AI), as well as new storage technologies, could drive hafnium demand further. At the same time, growing demand for standalone power generation to serve AI data centres also could lift demand for hafnium in super-alloys, Matheson said. In the indium market, the use of indium phosphide-based fibre optics to replace copper interconnects to meet the requirements of high-speed AI data transfer is creating a new source of demand. Indium-based compounds such as indium arsenide, indium gallium arsenide and indium gallium nitride are used in integrated circuits, lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for electronic and electro-optical applications. Indium alloys also are used as thermal interface materials to improve heat dissipation in electronic devices. Semiconductor applications account for about 10pc of global indium consumption, and as the liquid crystal display display market has matured, chip demand will be one of the drivers of the indium market's 2-3pc annual growth rate, according to Brian O'Neill, indium business unit manager at AIM Products. Semiconductor demand has contributed to a larger structural change in the global gallium market. Total gallium production capacity has more than tripled since 2016 from about 300 t/yr to more than 1,100 t/yr, driven by expansion in China, according to Jan Giese, senior manager for minor metals and rare earths at German trading firm Tradium. Gallium exports from China have steadily decreased since 2018, dropping further in 2023 when the Chinese government introduced export controls. This has resulted in a contraction of the share of exports in Chinese production to just 7pc in 2024 from 52pc in 2018. China is no longer dependent on exports of gallium metal, as the capacity expansion is required to support China's drive towards full downstream integration into the semiconductor value chain, Giese said. Gallium is used as a dopant in silicon-based semiconductors, as well as in compound semiconductor materials, in the form of gallium arsenide (GaAs) and gallium nitride (GaN). GaAs is critical in high-frequency devices and LEDs, while GaN is used in high-power, high-frequency devices and LEDs. Adoption of GaN is growing in new AI and automotive applications, with Chinese device manufacturers and automakers leading the way in bringing GaN-on-silicon devices into automotive power electronics. China previously imported semiconductors to supply its electronics industry. But US restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductors and manufacturing equipment to China since 2022, supported by the Netherlands and Japan, have prompted China to rapidly establish its own domestic semiconductor production and advance its technological development. The state-backed National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund closed a third round last year of 344bn yuan ($47.5bn), more than double the value of the previous two rounds combined, in addition to growing private-sector investment. The scale of Chinese investment in expanding semiconductor manufacturing is absorbing much of the expansion in gallium capacity and supporting the long-term competitiveness of the Chinese downstream sector, Giese said. But as US tariffs have reduced dependency on imports of Chinese gallium, along with the export controls, they have reduced the competitiveness of the US downstream sector. Some customers have relocated, cutting US gallium demand and in turn failing to spur new primary gallium production. By Nicole Willing Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

Pupuk Indonesia receives final standard MOP offers

14/04/25

News

14/04/25

Pupuk Indonesia receives final standard MOP offers

Singapore, 14 April (Argus) — State-controlled fertilizer group Pupuk Indonesia held an e-auction today for final offers, for its tender seeking 175,000t of white standard MOP and 20,000t of red standard MOP for delivery from June-September. BPC, Eurochem, Uralkali, APC and K+S offered in the range of $360-363/t cfr, while Canpotex offered at $400/t cfr. Initial offers were submitted on 8 April, ranging mainly at $362-368/t cfr with one offer at $400/t cfr. There is no confirmation from Pupuk Indonesia on these offers. The group is likely to counter-bid these offers, according to suppliers. By Huijun Yao Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more