BASF declares force majeure for polystyrene plant

BASF declares force majeure for polystyrene plant

Chemical giant BASF said Wednesday it has declared force majeure for its 345 000 tonne/year polystyrene (PS) production facility at Joliet, Illinois.

A lightening strike Sunday triggered a shutdown at the plant, a spokesman said. The company declined to specify how long the plant might be offline or how much production has been affected.

In a statement from its US office at Mt Olive, New Jersey, the company said: "BASF is committed to resuming full operations as soon as possible." The spokesman added that customers would "continue to be advised on expected allocation of supply."

The BASF facility at Joliet, about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, is said to be one of the largest PS resin plants in the US. BASF is a worldwide supplier of basic chemicals, plastics, performance and agricultural products and fine chemicals.