The European chemical industry’s 'shutdown wave': exactly how many chemical plants have been shut down—list them all for us.

In April 2024, when ExxonMobil announced the permanent shutdown of its 425,000-ton-per-year ethylene plant in Gravenchon, France, the industry viewed it merely as routine 'cost optimization'. No one anticipated that this would mark the beginning of the most concentrated shutdown wave in European chemical industry history. Within just 15 months—from the North Sea coast to Mediterranean ports—smokestacks at chemical facilities successively fell silent: a total of 21 multinational corporations, over 40 large-scale production units, and more than 15 million tons per year of capacity were placed on the 'death list'. If all plans proceed as scheduled, by the end of 2027 Europe will permanently lose 4.6 million tons of ethylene, 2.28 million tons of propylene, and 430,000 tons of butadiene—equivalent in scale to two world-class petrochemical bases in China. ExxonMobil: In April 2024, announced the permanent shutdown of its ethylene steam cracker and associated facilities in Gravenchon, France, with an ethylene capacity of 425,000 tons/year. LyondellBasell: From March 2024 to June 2025, implemented a series of exit measures. — Jointly decided with Covestro to permanently shut down the propylene oxide (PO)/styrene monomer unit at the Maasvlakte plant in the Netherlands, with PO capacity of 315,000 tons/year and styrene capacity of 640,000 tons/year. — Plans to sell its four European olefins and polyolefins assets and related businesses to AEQUITA; the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026. SABIC: Announced shutdown plans spanning April 2024 to June 2025. — Shutting down its 575,000-ton/year cracker at the Green plant in the Netherlands. — Permanently closing its Olefins VI steam cracker at Wilton, Teesside, UK, with ethylene capacity of 865,000 tons/year—idle since its October 2020 maintenance shutdown. Dow: In July 2024, announced the closure of three European chemical plants. — Shutting down its ethylene cracker in Böhlen, Germany, and its chlor-alkali/vinyl assets in Schkopau, with cessation expected in Q4 2027. — Closing its base silicone factory in Barry, UK (capacity: 145,000 tons/year), scheduled for mid-2026. — Shutting down its Schkopau chlor-alkali plant, with capacities of 250,000 tons/year chlorine, 275,000 tons/year caustic soda, 250,000 tons/year EDC, and 390,000 tons/year VCM—closure slated for Q4 2027. AkzoNobel: Gradually shutting down select capacities from 2024 through May 2025. — Plans to close its production sites in Wapenveld, the Netherlands, and Machelen, Belgium, consolidating output into other regional facilities. — Closing three production bases 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 European polyurethane plants. — Following assessment on May 28, decided to shut down its maleic anhydride plant in Moers, Germany, by end-Q2.

"Supply cut-off!" Major chemical giants—including BASF, Dow, and Chemours—have launched a 'concentrated plant shutdown'.

Recently, a listed chemical company’s stock price hit an all-time high—surging nearly 300% within two months. The catalyst behind this explosive rally is truly staggering! LyondellBasell and Covestro—the two industry giants—permanently shut down their 315,000-ton-per-year propylene oxide (PO) facility in the Netherlands! This instantly ripped open a gaping hole in the global chemical supply chain! As a result, PO prices surged by 200 RMB/ton in just one week, breaching the historic threshold of 7,750 RMB/ton! A total of 1 million tons of PO capacity has been cut: multiple PO giants have permanently ceased operations. Domestic PO producers and related enterprises—including Wanhua Chemical, Binhu Co., Ltd., Qixiang Tengda, Hongbaoli, and Yida Co., Ltd.—all joined the upward pricing trend. The primary driver is the permanent shutdown of PO production by numerous overseas giants. Globally, PO capacity is heavily concentrated among major chemical companies such as DuPont, LyondellBasell, Shell, BASF, and Covestro. Recently, intensifying Russia-Ukraine conflict, coupled with carbon tariff policies, has prompted leading firms to publicly declare a 'standstill'. LyondellBasell, Covestro, Shell, and Dow Chemical have sequentially shuttered or exited PO capacity—resulting in over 1 million tons of direct overseas production cuts, significantly disrupting the global PO supply-demand balance. Domestically, while Wanhua Chemical, Binhu Co., Ltd., Qixiang Tengda, Hongbaoli, and Yida Co., Ltd. are key PO producers, low-end PO capacity—associated with severe environmental pollution—has been rapidly phased out worldwide and in China. The National Development and Reform Commission’s 'Industrial Structure Adjustment Guidance Catalogue (2024 Edition)' explicitly classifies the chlorohydrin process as 'restricted', mandating mandatory elimination after December 31, 2025 for installations failing to meet specific conditions. This means not only will overseas capacity shrink by 1 million tons, but substantial domestic capacity will also be eliminated. Amid these combined domestic and international pressures, the PO supply-demand equilibrium risks collapse—and rising prices have become the market’s widely shared expectation. Even more alarmingly, upstream raw materials for coatings—including titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and toluene diisocyanate (TDI)—now face acute supply shortages. Foreign TiO₂ giants shutter plants—supply stability now in doubt Similar dynamics are unfolding in the titanium dioxide sector: Tronox, Chemours, and Venator have recently closed factories, affecting several ten-thousand tons of capacity. — Tronox announced the closure of its titanium dioxide plant in Botlek, the Netherlands—annual capacity: 90,000 tons—to optimize remaining capacity and reduce overall manufacturing costs. — Chemours shut down its plant in Taiwan, cutting ~50,000 tons/year capacity, aiming to improve profitability in its TiO₂ business. — Venator announced the closure of its titanium dioxide plant in Duisburg, Germany (50,000 tons/year), and rationalized its European TiO₂ capacity of 130,000 tons/year—relocating specialty TiO₂ production from Duisburg to Uerdingen. Its 80,000-ton/year TiO₂ plant in Scarlino, Italy, is also offline. As a critical raw material for the coatings industry—providing opacity, whiteness, and gloss—these plant closures will directly reshape the global TiO₂ supply landscape, thereby impacting coating manufacturers’ raw material procurement costs and supply reliability. Multiple TDI units halted—raw materials for industrial anti-corrosion coatings constrained Over recent years, overseas TDI capacity has gradually contracted. — BASF shut down its TDI and precursor units at its Ludwigshafen site. — Japan’s Tosoh ceased TDI production at its Nanyo plant. — Argentina’s Petroquímica Río Tercero announced the shutdown of its TDI plant in Córdoba, with annual TDI capacity of 28,000 tons.

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