Westlake Chemical announced on Sept. 29, 2026 that it would close its polyvinyl chloride plant in Cologne, Germany, to optimize its European vinyl business, according to an industry weekly report dated Oct. 11, 2026.
The Cologne plant has PVC capacity of about 165,000 tons/year and is expected to cease operations in the first quarter of 2027.
European chemical production continues to face a difficult environment, including weak demand, high energy costs and rising import pressure from Asia. Because of its small scale and heavy logistics burden, the Cologne plant has higher operating costs than the company's other PVC production sites in Europe.
Westlake said it will continue to serve customers through its remaining lower-cost PVC facilities in Germany, including the recently acquired Wilhelmshaven site.
The closure adds to a broader wave of European commodity chemical capacity rationalization.
