Styrolution to shutter Sarnia plant

Ineos’s Styrolution styrenic resins business says it will permanently close its Sarnia, Ontario, styrene plant by June 2026. “The long-term prospects for the Sarnia site have worsened to the point that it is no longer an economically viable operating asset,” Styrolution CEO Steve Harrington says in a press release. The plant has been under scrutiny. The Aamjiwnaang First Nation recently reported spiking air pollution that forced it to shut down community buildings. The Canadian government responded by imposing strict limits on emissions of benzene, the key precursor for styrene. Styrolution shut down the plant temporarily It estimates that it would cost about $50 million to comply with the new regulations and reopen the plant, a plan the company will evaluate over the next 6 months. Beyond that expense, the plant would require outlays to stay open permanently, the company says. These investments are “economically impractical given today’s challenging industry environment.” The plant has styrene capacity of 430,000 metric tons per year.