Huntsman today announced that it has commissioned engineering design studies to increase its global capacity for the manufacture of methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) through investment at its Geismar, Louisiana site.

Commenting on the studies, Anthony P. Hankins, President of Huntsman Polyurethanes, said: "We are studying several options for expansion of the Geismar facility to ensure we can satisfy the strong demand in residential and commercial insulation. With the benefits of US shale gas, the economics of investing in our US facilities has improved significantly. The global market for MDI Urethanes is expected to continue to grow strongly well into the next decade, and the proposed investment in the United States will complement our previously announced planned expansion in China".

Huntsman Polyurethanes operates worldscale MDI facilities in Geismar, Louisiana; Caojing, Shanghai; and Rozenburg, Rotterdam.