Covestro postpones MDI plant due to economic uncertainty

Owing to the European energy crisis and a global economy that continues to weaken, German materials firm Covestro says it has decided to pause the investment project for its new world-scale MDI plant. This is the second time the firm has put a pause on the project and it also means that the decision on the plant’s future location remains open. It had been looking at US and China as possible locations.

“The war in Ukraine, the European energy crisis and the growing inflation have severely disrupted the global economy. Facing an increasingly volatile economic environment, we must ensure that we make the best decision for the company economically and strategically. Thus, we pause the project for the moment and reassess it at a later time,” said Covestro CEO Dr. Markus Steilemann. “In the long term, we see significant growth in global demand for MDI driven by trends toward energy-efficient construction and want to profit from this demand as a leading company in the global market. We will also continue to invest in growth opportunities in all regions of the world.”

In September 2021, the company announced that it would resume the investment project for its world-scale MDI plant after it had previously been suspended. In this context, the group reported that it was examining both the US and China as potential locations for the new plant.

“We are facing unprecedented challenges that are shifting the global economic situation fundamentally. This is why we took a close look at the world-scale project in line with our general investment process and, in view of the economic situation, decided to pause it. At the same time, we are continuing to invest in our transformation to a circular economy and in the expansion of our production capacities,” said Covestro CFO Thomas Toepfer.

The suspension of the world-scale investment does not represent a change in Covestro’s long-term growth strategy. Especially China and Asia-Pacific remain strong key growth markets for Covestro in the long turn, it adds.

(PRA)

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