On November 13, 2020, BASF has restarted production of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) at its 300000 t / a plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany, although production has not increased enough to allow the company to lift the force majeure declared in August.
"BASF is in the process of starting the TDI unit, which is currently in production, but it has not reached a high level sufficient to relieve force majeure," said a market person close to the plant. Considering that the contract price of toluene has fallen this month, the downstream demand is good and the profit margin is very high, BASF hopes to start operation as soon as possible. "
The company announced force majeure on August 31 after encountering technical problems and has been trying to restart the plant until now without success, the source said.
Another source said: "we expect BASF to resume normal production by the end of November. They have started production now, but they have not reached a level that can officially lift the force majeure."
The force majeure in Ludwigshafen has exacerbated the tension in the global TDI market. BASF's TDI plant in Ludwigshafen started operation in November 2015. However, due to production and technical problems, the plant has not been able to operate continuously at the optimal speed, resulting in delays and production stoppage.
Source: official account of the Mo Bay
