US media: Russian natural gas supply has decreased, German chemical giant BASF may be closed

According to Radio Russia (RT) on the 27th today, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the German chemical giant BASF may be forced to shut down the company's largest chemical factory in Ludwigg as the decrease in Russia's natural gas supply.

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According to US media reports, BASF has been using Russia's natural gas to generate electricity for many years to create products such as toothpaste, medicine and automobiles. However, the company said that the decrease in Russia's natural gas supply is a threat in its huge chemical comprehensive base.

The Wall Street Journal quoted Peter Westerheide, a senior economist of BASF, said: "The factory reduction will be a difficult task. We have never faced this situation before and it is difficult to imagine. "

This comprehensive production base in Ludwig Port covers an area of ​​about 10 square kilometers and has about 200 factories. The total demand for natural gas accounts for about 4%of Germany. About 60% of the fuels used in this base are used for power generation, and the remaining 40% are raw materials for producing chemical products (including ammonia and acetylene).

It is reported that BASF estimates that if the supply of natural gas is maintained at more than 50% of the maximum demand of the Ludwig Port Base, they can continue to maintain operation by reducing consumption and using alternatives. If the supply of natural gas is significantly lower than the level for a period of time, the factory will have to be stopped production.

Earlier this month, Russia reduced the natural gas flow of "Beixi-1" to Germany by about 60%, saying that the reason was that Western sanctions on Russia caused pipeline technology problems. In response to this crisis, the German government launched the second level in the emergency schedule of natural gas, namely the "alert". Berlin warned that due to the decrease in natural gas supply from Russia, Germany was facing a serious shortage of fuel.

(Edit: HX)

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