Polar Storms Paralyze Chemicals

February 19, 2021

MANY chemicals have been severely affected by the winter storms Uri and Viola that rocked the Gulf Coast region this week, including Propylene Oxide, Propylene Glycol, Hydrocarbons, Acetone, Isopropyl Alcohol, P-series Glycol Ethers, E-series Glycol Ethers, Chlorine, Caustic Soda, and Hydrochloric Acid, to name a few. The weather crisis has caused dozens of plant outages, a flurry of Force Majeure notifications, and in some cases a shortness of supply. Products are delayed as large percentages of US capacity are offline- Ethylene 65%, Propylene Oxide 49%, Ethylene Glycol 89%, and etc.

This historic winter storm in the Gulf Coast has further exacerbated an already tight situation on Propylene Oxide and derivatives- see: Rising Propylene Shifts Market for IPA, Other Chemicals. The further impact of the storms is likely to be massive on a market already at 10-year-highs, and could take many weeks to resolve.

For questions on how this will affect your chemical supply and/or price, reach out to a sales representative.