Nov 22 2005
Leaders of DuPont and the city of Dongying yesterday signed a project agreement -- a major milestone on the path toward construction of a world-class titanium dioxide (TiO2) plant representing a total investment of USD 1 billion in the city’s Economic Development Zone. TiO2 is a white pigment widely used in the coatings, plastics and paper industries.
The project agreement is a key step toward construction of the new facility because it documents the success of negotiations that began last March between DuPont and Dongying City. Once relevant government approvals are received, the new TiO2 plant is expected to represent a total investment at Dongying of more than USD 1 billion. That sum includes the initial DuPont investment, facilities installed by the city and integrated suppliers to the plant, and eventual expansion of the original facility.
The plant will be wholly-owned by DuPont and will be the company’s largest single investment project outside the United States. With a planned completion date of 2010, the plant will have an initial annual capacity of 200,000 tons of TiO2 and will employ approximately 350 people, most of whom will be hired in the Dongying area.
DuPont Senior Vice President and Chief Science & Technology Officer Tom Connelly and Mr. Sun Shou Pu, deputy governor of Shandong Province, where Dongying is located, joined about 150 representatives from DuPont, a variety of government agencies, trade experts and TiO2 customers to witness the project agreement signing.
“The planning and construction of a project of this complexity is not quickly or easily accomplished, yet we have reached this remarkable milestone in just eight months,” said Rick Olson, vice president and general manager, DuPont Titanium Technologies. “It is important that all parties maintain the momentum that made this day possible and resolve the remaining issues promptly. It is in everyone’s best interests that we maintain our aggressive project schedule.”
“Reaching this stage further demonstrates our company’s commitment to China and to serving our customers in China, Asia and worldwide,” said Tom Powell, president, DuPont Greater China.
“We are excited about the progress we have made since our negotiations with DuPont began last March,” said Dongying Mayor Liu Guoxin. “DuPont has an excellent reputation for the quality and innovation of its products, the safety of its plants and its fine environmental performance, so we believe this plant will be a great contributor to the sustainable development of Dongying City.”
http://www.dupont.com
Posted 22nd November