INEOS announced the full shutdown of its three world-scale acetyl plants at Hull in the UK, according to a report dated Oct. 9, 2026. The facilities were described as Europe's last remaining world-scale acetyl production sites and have been mothballed with no restart date announced.
The company cited persistently high natural gas prices and carbon tax costs as the dual pressures behind the decision. Of the three units, two had already been shut down, with the final unit to be stopped within days; all are being sealed and mothballed.
The Hull plants are a core part of Europe's acetyl materials supply chain, producing intermediates used in pharmaceuticals, textiles and apparel, cosmetics, detergents and construction materials. The report also noted the site's output is an important raw material for military explosives.
The production base supports nearly 4,000 highly skilled jobs and operates an apprenticeship system that supplies technical talent to the European chemical industry. The report described the shutdown as a complete, permanent mothballing, marking the exit of large-scale acetyl chemical capacity from Europe.
