Plant closures: Ineos not to restart styrene monomer plant in Canada; Ineos to close ABS facility in US
Styrenics maker Ineos Styrolution has confirmed it will not restart its styrene monomer production site in Sarnia, Ontario, which has been shut down since April 2024.
This announcement follows the company’s prior announcement in June in which Ineos Styrolution shared its decision to permanently close the Sarnia site by June 2026 based on the economics of the facility within the wider industry context. The company’s operations in Sarnia have been shut down since April 2024 due to orders from regulatory authorities that forced the site to declare force majeure.
“Since announcing the difficult decision to permanently close our Sarnia site, we have conducted an extensive assessment to determine the operational viability of restarting the site on a temporary basis. Ultimately, the conclusion of the assessment was that temporarily restarting the site is not operationally feasible or economically justifiable,” said Ineos Styrolution’s CEO, Steve Harrington.
“We are now focused on conducting a safe, responsible, and compliant closure process and supporting our employees, contractors, customers, and partners, including offering transition support for impacted employees. I want to extend my deepest appreciation to our Sarnia team for their contributions to our business over the years.”
While the precise date of the site closure is yet to be determined, the company adds it is working closely with all necessary parties and expects to complete the decommissioning and orderly wind-down process by early Q4 2025.
Meanwhile in related news, Ineos has also announced its decision to permanently close its ABS production site in Addyston, Ohio, due to competition and what it says are “cheaper imports from overseas”. The company will commence a safe and responsible decommissioning process in the second quarter of 2025.
“Over the past few years, we have seen the ABS market become increasingly competitive, particularly with growing competition from overseas imports,” said CEO Steve Harrington.
“After a thorough analysis, we concluded that the substantial investment needed to continue operations and achieve profitable cost competitiveness makes this site no longer economical. This difficult yet necessary decision is driven primarily by external market conditions and is not a reflection of the performance or dedication of our team in Addyston.”
The Addyston site manufactures ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and SAN (styrene acrylonitrile) polymers that are used in a wide variety of applications and industries, including automotive, household, healthcare, and construction.
The company says that, through its Styrolution business, it remains dedicated to serving the North American ABS market and will continue to serve affected customers from our other production facilities in North America and within its global footprint.
The company further says it recognises the significant impact this decision will have on affected employees and is fully committed to respectfully, supporting them through this transition. As always, safety remains at the forefront of operations for Ineos.
“Our focus is on the future – we are taking steps to strengthen our position in the near term and ensure a strong foundation for our continued success,” Harrington continued. “We remain committed to supplying our customers with a comprehensive range of high-quality styrenic polymer grades and ensuring both global availability and local production.”
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