Celanese Announces Capacity Expansions for Acetic Acid and VAM in North America

Wed, November 11 2015

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), a global technology and specialty materials company, today announced it will expand acetic acid and vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) capacity in North America.

Celanese will implement a series of low capital debottlenecks in its Clear Lake, Texas, acetic acid facility and expects up to 150kt more product. The current nameplate capacity of the facility is 1,350kt per annum. The debottlenecks will happen in stages over the next several years with the expectation that total U.S. output will have a nameplate capacity of more than 1,500kt per annum by 2016.

Celanese has also begun work on a 150kt expansion of its Clear Lake, Texas, VAM facility raising plant capacity to 450kt – making it the largest and most efficient VAM plant in the world. The expansion will be complete in 2018.

“Today’s announcement leverages Celanese’s leading acetyl technologies and exhibits our continued commitment to innovation and productivity in the Acetyl Chain. To have the ability to add incremental capacity as industry growth dictates, and do it with a nominal capital outlay, is a great tool and the hallmark of our industry leadership position,” remarked Pat Quarles, president of Acetyl Chain and Integrated Supply Chain for Celanese.

About Celanese

Celanese Corporation is a global technology leader in the production of differentiated chemistry solutions and specialty materials used in most major industries and consumer applications. With sales almost equally divided between North America, Europe and Asia, the company uses the full breadth of its global chemistry, technology and business expertise to create value for customers and the corporation. Celanese partners with customers to solve their most critical needs while making a positive impact on its communities and the world. Based in Dallas, Texas, Celanese employs approximately 7,500 employees worldwide and had 2014 net sales of $6.8 billion. For more information about Celanese Corporation and its product offerings, visit www.celanese.com or our blog at www.celaneseblog.com.

All registered trademarks are owned by Celanese International Corporation or its affiliates.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain “forward-looking statements,” which include information concerning the company’s plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future revenues or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs and other information that is not historical information. When used in this release, the words “outlook,” “forecast,” “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and beliefs and various assumptions. There can be no assurance that the company or any of its customers will realize these benefits or that these expectations will prove correct. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Numerous factors, many of which are beyond the company’s control, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed as forward-looking statements. Other risk factors include those that are discussed in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances.

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Celanese Corporation
Investor Relations
Jon Puckett, +1-972-443-4965
jon.puckett@celanese.com
or
Media Relations – Global
W. Travis Jacobsen, +1-972-443-3750
william.jacobsen@celanese.com
or
Media Relations Asia (Shanghai)
Helen Zhang, +86 21 3861 9279
lan.zhang@celanese.com
or
Media Relations Europe (Germany)
Jens Kurth, +49(0)69 45009 1574
j.kurth@celanese.com

Source: Celanese Corporation