Almost three and a half years after it first touted plans to build a new MDI plant in Chongqing / China – see Plasteurope.com of 15.06.2007 – German chemical group BASF (Ludwigshafen; www.basf.com) has announced that it has now received the necessary approval from the Chinese authorities to go ahead with the proposed 400,000 t/y plant. The project, which comes at an investment cost of EUR 860m, was originally scheduled to come on stream in 2010, but was delayed due to uncertain market conditions – see Plasteurope.com of 30.09.2009. Now that the plans have been revived, the new plant is scheduled to come on stream in 2014.

Located in the Chongqing Changshou Chemical Industrial Park, the project is to include an MDI plant, a nitrobenzene plant and an aniline plant. In addition, BASF is building a new Polyurethane Solutions Systems House in Chongqing, too, to be better placed to meet regional demand for important polyurethane industries, including construction, appliances, transportation and footwear. Once operational, the new site will open up 300 new positions, the German chemical giant predicts.

Commenting on the new state-of-the-art facility, BASF executive board member Martin Brudermüller said: “Investing here will give us access to what will be one of the biggest MDI markets in the world.”

BASF operates another 240,000 t/y MDI line in Caojing, Shanghai / China. In addition, the German company also has a 560,000 t/y MDI line in Antwerp / Belgium, a 200,000 t/y MDI facility in Yeosu / Korea as well as a 290,000 t/y plant in Geismar, Louisiana / USA.