Ludwigshafen, Germany – July 21, 2017 – By the end of 2017, BASF will concentrate the production of XPS boards (extruded polystyrene) at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, which will ensure the direct supply of raw materials, optimised logistics, and direct access to research and development facilities. In view of overcapacities and low margins, the company will discontinue the production of XPS at its Schwarzheide location in Germany in the fourth quarter of this year. There will be no compulsory redundancies.
“We are implementing this measure to make sure that we remain competitive in those markets in which we are able to generate added value for our customers and for BASF in the long term”, says Klaus Ries, Head of Global Business Management Styrenic Foams at BASF. “Going forward, the full XPS product range will be available from one location, thus substantially improving our service to customers. Thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities and following numerous debottlenecking measures, Ludwigshafen offers sufficient production capacity to guarantee profitable growth.”
The welding technology developed for use on insulation boards that is currently in operation at the BASF location in Schwarzheide will be transferred to Ludwigshafen and operated from this location. This contactless, thermal welding process not only enables the manufacture of particularly thick XPS boards (BASF trade name Styrodur®), but also paves the way for a variety of interesting material combinations for the insulation material solutions of the future.
Source: BASF
France has launched an offshore green hydrogen production platform at the country’s Port of Saint-Nazaire this week, along with its first offshore wind farm. The hydrogen plant, which its operators say is the world’s first facility of its type, coincides with the launch of another “first of its kind” facility in Sweden dedicated to storing hydrogen in an underground lined rock cavern (LRC).
The project sets up the Hydrogen Valley in Rome, the first industrial-scale technological hub for the development of the national supply chain for the production, transport, storage and use of hydrogen for the decarbonization of industrial processes and for sustainable mobility.
At first glance, hydrogen seems to be the perfect solution to our energy needs. It doesn’t produce any carbon dioxide when used. It can store energy for long periods of time. It doesn’t leave behind hazardous waste materials, like nuclear does. And it doesn’t require large swathes of land to be flooded, like hydroelectricity. Seems too good to be true. So…what’s the catch?
