>Europe's petrochemical industry is unravelling under a wave of plant closures after years of losses and a rapid expansion of global capacity led by China.

>High production costs and ageing plants have left European producers struggling, making the region increasingly dependent on imports of primary chemicals such as ethylene and propylene, the building blocks for plastics, pharmaceuticals and countless industrial goods.

>A wave of closures and disposals is reshaping the global petrochemical sector as companies around the world rethink their exposure to markets as they adjust to capacity build-up in China and higher costs in Europe.

>Up to 40% of the EU's ethylene capacity — which totals 24.5 million metric tons — is at high or medium risk of closure

>North America's ethylene capacity will grow to 58 million metric tons by 2030 from 54 million currently

>China, meanwhile, will add 6.5% to its ethylene capacity every year between 2025 and 2030, when it will produce nearly 87 million metric tons of ethylene annually

https://archive.ph/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/europes-chemical-industry-seeks-lifeboat-stay-business-2025-07-21/
https://archive.ph/https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/closures-disposals-reshaping-global-petrochemical-sector-2025-07-21/