The European chemical industry's 'shutdown wave': Exactly how many chemical plants have been shut down? We list them all for you.

Shut down the 575,000-ton-per-year steam cracker unit at its Groningen plant in the Netherlands. Permanently shut down the Olefins VI steam cracker at Wilton, Teesside, UK—the facility has an ethylene capacity of 865,000 tons per year and has remained idle since its October 2020 maintenance shutdown. Dow: In July 2024, announced the closure of three chemical plants in Europe. Shut down its ethylene cracker in Böhlen, Germany, and its chlor-alkali/vinyl assets in Schkopau, with production expected to cease in Q4 2027. Shut down its base siloxane plant in Barry, UK (capacity: 145,000 tons/year), scheduled for mid-2026. Shut down its Schkopau chlor-alkali plant—capable of producing 250,000 tons/year chlorine, 275,000 tons/year caustic soda, 250,000 tons/year EDC, and 390,000 tons/year VCM—with closure planned for Q4 2027. AkzoNobel: Between 2024 and May 2025, progressively closed certain capacities. Plans to close manufacturing sites in Wapenveld, the Netherlands, and Mechelen, Belgium, consolidating production into other regional facilities. Shut down three manufacturing sites across Europe and Africa: Groot-Ammers (Netherlands), Cork (Ireland), and Lusaka (Zambia). Huntsman: Implemented multiple shutdown measures between February and May 2025. May close its polyurethane (PU) plants in Europe. Following an assessment on May 28, decided to shut down its maleic anhydride plant in Moers, Germany, by end-Q2. Also announced shutdowns of PU plants in Deggendorf, Germany, and Kings Lynn, UK. Chemours: In February 2025, announced a strategic realignment in Europe. Initiated a strategic review of its Advanced Performance Materials (APM) business—based in Mechelen, Belgium, and Villers-Saint-Paul, France. The company has impaired certain assets and suspended the Nafion expansion project at its Villers-Saint-Paul plant in France. Decided to exit the Surface Protection Solutions (SPS) Capstone business. The APM exit is driven by regulatory changes and declining demand, as markets shift away from end-capped polymer chemistry. The Capstone exit stems from third-party forecasts indicating low end-use hydrogen demand and uncertain growth trajectories beyond 2030. Shell: In March 2025, announced exploration of U.S. strategic partnerships while planning to close certain European facilities—including its o-/p-xylene assets in Wesseling, Germany, and its methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) facility in Pernis, the Netherlands. In July 2025, elevated its 'review scope' to a 'formal exit plan', deciding to shut down aromatic and olefin units at its Rheinland integrated refining & petrochemical complex in Germany, and selected olefin and derivative units at its Moerdijk site in the Netherlands. Plans phased shutdown of the cracker at its Mossmorran facility in the UK between 2026 and 2027. TotalEnergies: In April 2025, announced plans to permanently shut down an aging cracker at its Antwerp refinery-petrochemical complex in Belgium by end-2027. The unit has ethylene capacity of 550,000 tons/year and propylene capacity of 230,000 tons/year.

Chemical Industry Updates: Multiple chemical industry giants have again announced shutdowns!

Domestically, in 2024, polyether industry capacity further consolidated among leading enterprises, raising the industry’s concentration ratio to 48%. Total domestic output reached approximately 5.55 million tons, with domestic consumption at around 4.08 million tons—a modest year-on-year increase—and downstream demand continuing its upward trend. China exported about 1.68 million tons of polyether and imported about 280,000 tons; export volumes continued rising while imports declined steadily. The polyether industry is mature, with broad market applications spanning automotive, home furnishings, construction, daily chemicals, textile printing & dyeing, agriculture, industrial sectors, pharmaceuticals, packaging, wind power, and more. Product forms include high-resilience foam, slow-recovery foam, slabstock foam, self-skinning foam, and semi-rigid energy-absorbing foam. Profit margins remain thin for basic flexible and rigid polyether products; only high-value-added offerings from top-tier enterprises—such as high-molecular-weight polyethers, graft polyethers, and specialty polyethers—are experiencing rapid growth. Promising products include those covered under Wanhua Chemical’s September announcement of expanded EOD polyether capacity (Wanhua Chemical’s Penglai EOD Polyether Expansion Project), e.g., conventional flexible polyether, high-resilience polyether, differentiated polyether, low-solid-content POP blending lines, polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE) polyether, differentiated EOD, and polyethylene glycol. Overall, domestic polyether facilities are accelerating capacity expansion, imports continue declining, and exports keep increasing—reaching new record highs. Domestic polyether producers will continue expanding capacity and moving further upstream into high-end products. Key players include Wanhua Chemical, Longhua New Materials, CNOOC Shell Petrochemical, Changhua Chemical, Hongbaoli, Jiahua Chemical, Zhejiang Petrochemical, Sinochem Dongda, Wudi Dexin, Tianjiao Chemical, and Dexin United Federal. According to incomplete third-party statistics, China’s new polyether polyol capacity additions between 2025 and 2029 will exceed 4 million tons/year. (2) INEOS: Closing Two More Plants—Involving Epoxy Resins and Chlorine On October 6, INEOS confirmed plans to close two manufacturing plants in Rheinberg, Germany, resulting in the loss of 175 jobs. The direct cause cited was soaring energy and carbon-emission costs, coupled with insufficient tariff protection. Both plants produce essential chemicals. The Allyl Chemicals division manufactures key components for epoxy resins—critical for defense, aerospace, automotive, and renewable energy infrastructure. The electrochemical plant produces chlorine—vital for clean water, pharmaceuticals, industrial processes, and sanitation facilities. The following day, October 7, INEOS announced it would cut 20% of the workforce at its acetyl plant in Hull, UK, attributing the move to competition from low-cost, high-carbon imported products. Additionally, in September 2025, INEOS announced plans to shut down its propylene oxide (PO) and propylene glycol (PG) production units in Cologne, Germany, and withdraw from relevant working groups of the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) in 2026. (3) Arlanxeo: Shutting Down 140,000-Ton Synthetic Rubber Plant On October 2, Arlanxeo France Elastomers—part of Saudi Aramco and one of the world’s largest synthetic rubber suppliers—announced plans to cease operations at its synthetic rubber production base in Port-Jérôme-sur-Seine, northern France.

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