Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UK: Knauf Insulation has submitted plans for a €196m, 100,000t/yr mineral wool insulation plant in Shotton, Flintshire. The plans involve the use of 120,000t/yr of basalt, slag and recycled stone wool insulation to produce insulation, using a submerged arc furnace (SAF). Local press has reported that the plans will now be subject to scoping opinion, ahead of an environmental impact assessment.

Regional Managing Director Northern Europe Neil Hargreaves said "Knauf has a proud history of production in Wales and this project aligns with the Welsh and UK governments’ commitment to sustainability and the industrial vision for North Wales and Deeside, using UK-first SAF technology."

India: The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) initiated an anti-dumping investigation into imports of faced glass wool in rolls from Egypt on 16 July 2025. Mondaq Business Briefing News has reported that a complaint from UP Twiga Fibreglass triggered the investigation. The DGTR made a prima facie recognition of dumping.

At the same time, the DGTR also initiated a sunset review of an existing anti-dumping duty on imports of faced glass wool from China. It noted ‘sufficient evidence’ to demonstrate the likelihood of continued dumping upon their expiry. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry previously launched an investigation into imports of Chinese glass wool in mid-June 2025.

Uzbekistan: Knauf inaugurated its new 30,000t/yr Tashkent mineral wool insulation plant on 4 July 2025. Business World Magazine News has reported that the plant will produce insulation from basalt and supply the construction of 40,000 new homes per year. The plant raises Knauf's total workforce in Uzbekistan by 33%, to 440 people.

Germany: Chemicals company BASF says that it has completed the sale of its Styrodur extruded polystyrene (XPS) insulation business to Karl Bachl Kunststoffverarbeitung.

BASF says that it will continue to produce expandable polystyrene under its Neopor and Styropor brands. It aims to increase the production capacity of its Ludwigshafen expandable polystyrene plant in Rhineland-Palatinate by 200% to 250,000t/yr in early 2027.

Hungary: Masterplast and Poland-based Selena FM have restarted the 19,000t/yr Szerencs glass wool insulation plant, with a view to resuming full-scale production later in 2025. Bne IntelliNews has reported that the partners invested €47.5m in the project, including €14m in funding from the Hungarian government. When fully operational, the plant will supply glass wool insulation for the domestic and Central and Eastern European markets.