Fertilizer Group Warns Europe Plant Shutdowns May Turn Permanent
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Temporary shutdowns of European fertilizer plants in the face of soaring natural gas prices could become permanent, an industry group warned.
Natural gas, used as a feedstock for nitrogen fertilizers, usually accounts for as much as 80% of production costs, Fertilizers Europe said in a statement Thursday. The current “exceptionally high” prices have already forced numerous plants to cut production, and a toolbox proposed by the European Commission to address the shock doesn’t go far enough to end the problem, it said.