Baspar / Iranpolymer The failure of two of the three crackers that Dow (Midland, Michigan / USA) operates at the Terneuzen site in the Netherlands, which has since been confirmed, has consequences for a number of other plants and also for products downstream in the value chain. On November 29th there was a technical problem at the site, although it is still unclear whether the electricity or steam supply is affected. When asked, Dow did not comment.
The US group itself has now declared force majeure for polyether polyols because the necessary ethylene oxide is not sufficiently available. Depending on the type, some strong allocations have been announced. At the same time, the styrene bottleneck is worsening because a producer – as can be heard from the market – does not receive enough ethylene from Terneuzen for SM production.