Hurricane Ida Another Setback for Supply Chains, But…

September 16, 2021

…On a positive note, Ida was less devastating than the winter storms Uri & Viola last February.

(When supply chains have as many problems as they’ve had this year, yeah, we’re looking for the bright side!!)

It’s been a rough year for supply chains. Most recently, Hurricane Ida, a dangerous and major hurricane, made landfall in Louisiana on August 29. Ida caused widespread power outages, flooding and damage, including to many chemical production facilities. Not surprisingly, this has exacerbated the issues chemical supply chains were already facing. In addition to these primary issues, chemical plants have also been dealing with issues such as problems getting a consistent and reliable supply of feedstock materials since the storm. Although many plants experienced outages lasting weeks, the overall effect of the storm was less devastating than that of the winter storms Uri & Viola earlier this year.

Here we take a look at the effect Hurricane Ida had on some of the chemicals that were affected by the storm:

Chlor-Alkali (Sodium Hydroxide/Sodium Hypochlorite): Ida had significant impact to the chlor-alkali market, and numerous producers have declared Force Majeure following the storm. These producers had plants in the direct path of the storm, and shut down prior to the storm. Now the idled plants are waiting for raw materials and repairs. This has caused noticeable tightness in the Sodium Hydroxide market.

Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA): While we have seen some softening in the Isopropyl Alcohol market in recent months, Ida shut down 35% of capacity and appears to have halted the sliding trend.

Glycol Ethers: Glycol Ethers have been affected, as 23% of capacity went offline.

Potassium Hydroxide: The largest liquid Potassium Hydroxide plant in the world is in Louisiana and still not running due to power outage. After shutting down two days prior to Ida, it is expected to be online again soon.

Ethylene Glycol: Approximately 10% of capacity is offline due to Ida. Additionally, Ida affected nearly 60% of capacity for feedstock Ethylene Oxide. Ethylene Glycol supply has been short for most of 2021. While there has been considerable effort to rebuild inventories this year, this now likely won’t be possible before 2022.

In addition to plant closures, Ida has impacted logistics on other key commodities as well as many downstream chemical markets such as paints and coatings, plastics, and etc.

For more information about Hurricane Ida’s affect on your chemical supply, speak to a representative.