中国石化新闻网讯 据安迅思马德里11月7日消息，德国化工巨头科思创公司周一表示，由于经济形势持续疲软，该公司已停止了投资15亿美元新建二苯基甲烷二异氰酸酯(MDI)工厂的计划。
科思创公司表示，能源危机和通胀压力造成的全球经济严重中断，已促使该公司稍后将重新评估该MDI工厂项目。
科思创的这一决定标志着该项目的故事发生了另一个转折。
2020年1月，科思创公司停止了在美国得克萨斯州贝城建设50万吨/年MDI工厂的计划。
随后，在2021年9月，科思创公司表示将恢复投资项目，但没有透露是在贝城还是其他地方。
直到今年9月，该公司仍表示将继续第二次尝试建设一座大型MDI工厂。
该公司考虑将美国或中国作为潜在建厂地点。
然而，科思创公司首席执行官马库斯·斯蒂尔曼在2021年9月的一次投资者电话会议上承认，该项目15亿美元的计划资本支出需要增加，特别是如果工厂建在美国的话。
在过去的两个月里，由于经济危机持续加剧，该公司最终决定暂停该项目。
斯蒂尔曼在描述“暂时暂停该项目，稍后再重新评估”的决定时表示：“地缘政治冲突、欧洲能源危机以及不断加剧的通货膨胀严重扰乱了全球经济。”
该工厂的选址和生产能力都尚未确定。
该公司的首席财务官托马斯·特普弗表示，“前所未有的挑战正在从根本上改变全球经济形势，这促使公司对MDI项目进行更仔细的研究”。
科思创公司10月表示，受能源和原材料成本上涨影响，该公司第三季度盈利同比大幅下滑。
MDI主要用于聚氨酯(PU)泡沫中，约占全球消费量的80%。
硬质泡沫是MDI最大的需求领域，主要用于建筑、制冷、包装和绝缘。
MDI也被用于制造黏合剂、弹性体、密封剂、涂料和纤维。
庞晓华 摘译自 ICIS
原文如下：
Germany’s Covestro pauses $1.5bn MDI plant project>Covestro has halted plans to build a $1.5bn methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) plant as economic conditions continue to weaken, the German chemicals major said>Covestro said the “severely disrupted” global economy due to the energy crisis and inflationary pressures had prompted it to reassess “at a later time” the MDI plant project.
This decision by Covestro marks yet another twist in the tale for the project.
In January 2020, Covestro halted plans to build a 500,000 tonne/year MDI plant in Baytown, Texas.
Subsequently, in September 2021, Covestro said it would resume the investment project but did not disclose whether it would be in Baytown or elsewhere.
Up until September this year, the company was still saying it would proceed with its second attempt to build a large-scale MDI plant.
The company was mulling over the US or China as potential locations.
However, the company’s CEO Markus Steilemann had conceded in an investor call in September 2021 that planned capital expenditure (capex) of $1.5bn for this project would need to increase, especially if the plant were to be built in the US.
As economic woes continued mounting over the past two months, the company finally decided to pause the project.
“The war, the European energy crisis and…growing inflation have severely disrupted the global economy,” said Steilemann, as he described the decision to “pause the project for the moment and reassess it at a later time”.
Both the plant’s location and its production capacity have yet to be decided.
The company’s CFO, Thomas Toepfer, spoke of “unprecedented challenges that are shifting the global economic situation fundamentally” which prompted Covestro to take “a closer look” at the MDI project.
Covestro’s third-quarter earnings fell sharply, year>MDI is consumed mainly in polyurethane (PU) foams, which account for about 80% of global consumption.
Rigid foams, the largest outlet for MDI, are used mostly in construction, refrigeration, packaging and insulation.
MDI is also used to make binders, elastomers, adhesives, sealants, coatings and fibres.
