BASF industrial plants in Ludwigshafen
Image: dpa
If the last stage of the gas emergency plan is called, BASF boss Martin Brüdermüller currently assumes that there will still be enough natural gas to continue operations at the largest site in Ludwigshafen with reduced loads.
Dhe world’s largest chemical group BASF expects enough natural gas to continue operating the main plant in Ludwigshafen – at least to a limited extent – even if the last gas emergency level is declared. “Should the federal government declare the third and final level of emergency, we currently assume that BASF would still receive sufficient natural gas to maintain operations at the Ludwigshafen site with reduced load,” said CEO Martin Brudermüller in a conference call on Wednesday on the occasion of the submission in more detail Figures for the second quarter. At the end of April he had already said that operations in Ludwigshafen would have to be shut down if necessary.
BASF is also confident with regard to Schwarzheide, the second largest BASF site in Germany. Here, for example, the company could generate 100 percent of the electricity and steam it needs with heating oil.
For the BASF production sites outside of Europe, there would be hardly any impact in the event of a European gas shortage.
BASF boss Martin Brudermüller
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Image: Frank Röth
According to Brudermüller, the natural gas requirement of BASF in Europe in 2021 was 48 terawatt hours. Of this, 37 terawatt hours were consumed in Ludwigshafen, he said. Around 60 percent of the natural gas requirement in Europe is used by BASF to generate electricity and steam, with the remaining 40 percent being used as raw materials. At the Ludwigshafen Verbund site, it is distributed over around 50 percent. If the natural gas supply does not fall below about half of the maximum requirement, the company could continue to operate the network in Ludwigshafen with reduced load