Celanese invests to construct production facilities in China

Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Celanese Far East Limited, has signed letters of intent to construct and operate industrial ethanol production facilities in Nanjing, China. Pending project approvals, the company could begin industrial ethanol production within the next 30 months with an initial nameplate capacity of 400,000 tons per year per plant with an initial investment of approximately USD 300 million per plant. The company is pursuing approval at two locations to ensure its ability to effectively grow with future demand. Industrial ethanol is used in chemical and industrial applications for the manufacture of paints, coatings, inks and pharmaceuticals. Current demand for industrial ethanol in China is approximately 3 million tons annually and is expected to grow between 8 % and 10 % per year.