Unions agree on Maasvlakte POSM petchem unit closure

Market: Petrochemicals
06/03/25

Dutch union FNV said today that it has reached agreement with global chemicals company LyondellBasell on a plan to close the firm's propylene oxide-styrene monomer (POSM) plant in Maasvlakte and cut workforce.

Based on the agreement the plant would close by 1 October, FNV said. A vast majority of union members at LyondellBasell voted in favour of the proposed plan, FNV said. The vote closed on 5 March.

Unions had been in negotiations with LyondellBassell which operates the plant, regarding a plan to reduce the plant's workforce.

"The company and the trade unions have come to an agreement on severance pay," FNV said today, but did not comment on how many workers will be made redundant or retained at the site, which employs approximately 160 people.

LyondellBasell declined to comment, only reiterating what it said in February about no definitive decision being made. German producer Covestro, which jointly owns the facility, also declined to comment further today.

The Maasvlakte POSM facility has 315,000 t/yr of propylene oxide (PO) capacity and 640,000 t/yr of styrene monomer (SM) capacity, but it has been idled since December 2024.

The plant has been intermittently idled several times in recent years, reflecting a structural surplus in Europe's PO and SM production capacity.

By Laura Tovey-Fall

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