Shanghai-based Wanhua Chemical says it still has aspirations for a U.S. methylene diphenyl disocyanate (MDI) facility, despite putting its Louisiana project on ice earlier this year.
The company issued a statement to the Shanghai Stock Exchange Nov. 1 stating: "The environment is changing rapidly, the project investment cost has increased significantly, and the company is reassessing the scope of construction of the U.S. project."
The statement did not give a firm commitment to any U.S. location but said that it was still looking at building a 400 kilotonne-per-year plant in the U.S. In September, Wanhua said it was postponing plans for a plant in Convent, La.
Wanhua plans to continue supplying U.S. customers from China and Europe until the plant is built.
The company declined to give a time-frame, or provide any further details. But, it did promise to fulfill its information disclosure obligations "in a timely manner according to the progress of the work."