DALLAS - Celanese Corporation announced the following actions to strengthen its position in acetyls at its recent Investor Conference.

Celanese will develop its Nanjing, China, site into an integrated, chemical complex that will include not only the 600,000-metric-ton acetic acid plant but also a vinyl acetate unit. The site will also house the previously announced vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions unit to create a major chemical site for Celanese in China to serve rapidly growing local requirements.

The company has announced that it will pursue strategic alternatives for its Pampa, Texas, chemical plant. The facility, which produces a variety of butane-based products, including 290,000 metric tons of acetic acid, faces competitive pressures due to the technology utilized.

Discussions regarding the joint-venture project being developed by Tasnee Petrochemicals and Celanese Corporation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been temporarily suspended due to the current high demand on contractors and vendors, which has affected the project costs. Both parties will reassess the development of the project at a later date.