BASF Chongqing MDI project approved
Facility to start up by 2014
BASF, has received approval for a 400,000 metric tons per year MDI (diphenylmethane diisocyanate) project in Chongqing, China. The investment will total RMB 8 billion (approximately €860 million). The facility, which will produce a core component mainly used for polyurethane foams, is expected to start up by 2014.
The project was approved by Chinese authorities, following a stringent examination of environmental, health and safety standards, two rounds of local public consultation and several expert reviews. This state-of-the-art facility will consist of an MDI plant, a nitrobenzene plant and an aniline plant, and will cover 40 hectares. It will form the center of an integrated chemical production complex operated by the Chongqing (Changshou) Chemical Industry Park.
Dr. Martin Brudermüller, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, responsible for Asia Pacific, said, “Chongqing is at the center of a growing inland region. Investing here will give us access to what will be one of the biggest MDI markets in the world. We are applying world-class safety and environmental standards in the construction and operation of our facility, and at the same time we will produce products that have a direct impact on increasing energy efficiency and lowering carbon emissions. Our investment is a pioneering step into western China. With this investment we are supporting the Chinese Government with their plans for rapid and sustainable development in western China.”
BASF estimates that there will be at least 300 permanent jobs created through the BASF facility alone when the plant is operating in full swing. At start-up, a total of 17 plants and businesses in the chemical park will immediately begin operation as key partners or suppliers, forming the nexus of a new industry manufacturing cluster serving multiple, labor-intensive industries.
Other news from the department manufacturing
