Lanxess building 160 kt/year EPDM plant in China

Changzhou, China -- Lanxess has broken ground on the world's largest EPDM plant in Changzhou, China. The 160 kt/year unit is due on stream in 2015.

The Euro 235 million unit represents Lanxess largest-ever investment in China.

“We are strengthening our global EPDM asset base with a world-scale

plant in China to serve our local customers even quicker with premium

products,” said Lanxess CEO Axel C. Heitmann at today's groundbreaking

ceremony.

The new EPDM plant will be located at the well-established Changzhou

Yangtze Riverside Industrial Park, with access to excellent storage and

ship uploading facilities. Lanxess will be supplied the key raw

materials ethylene and propylene from a methanol-to-olefins (MTO) plant

currently under construction at the site. The MTO process is a new way

to produce these key raw materials, which are conventionally produced

from refineries. During the construction phase, up to 2000 people will

be working on the site.

press release from Lanxess