22-03-2012

Celanese receives approval for industrial ethanol facility in Nanjing, China

Celanese Corporation a global technology and specialty materials company, today announced that it has received key government approvals necessary to proceed with its previously announced plans to modify and enhance its existing integrated acetyl facility at the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park to produce ethanol for industrial uses. The unit, based on Celanese TCX® ethanol process technology, is expected to startup in mid-2013. The new ethanol production is expected to increase the overall profitability of the facility by enhancing the mix of products manufactured with the current capacity of certain critical raw materials available at the site. Total investment for the project is expected to be a fraction of the required capital for a greenfield facility.

Based upon continued advancements to its TCX® ethanol process technology, the company now expects to have approximately 30 to 40 percent additional ethanol production capacity than the originally announced 200,000 tons with no increase in the capital investment for the modification and enhancement. This additional capacity will enable the company to meet the growing demand for industrial ethanol in China.

“We are excited to begin construction on our first commercial scale ethanol plant utilizing our breakthrough TCX® ethanol process technology to capture the growing demand for industrial ethanol in China and provide increased value to our stockholders,” said David Weidman, chairman and chief executive officer. “The company’s continued advancements to the technology allow us to produce 30 to 40 percent more capacity from this unit than originally announced. Additionally, our technology advancement unit in Clear Lake, Texas, which is scheduled to be completed in mid-2012, will provide further enhancements to our TCX® ethanol process technology.”