GEISMAR, La.—BASF has confirmed it plans to move forward with the final phase of its MDI expansion project at Geismar. Capacity will be increased to 600,000 metric tons per year by the middle of the decade.
The expansion project started in 2018, and was planned in three phases. The company is investing $780 million in this third and final phase, which should be completed by the end of 2025.
The first phase, the construction of a new MDI synthesis unit, came on stream in October 2020. The second phase started operations in 2020, and expanded several existing upstream units. This third phase includes new upstream units and a splitter.