Despite bumps in the economic landscape, demand for nitrogen has remained fairly steady in the US markets since our last report. In this article, we examine the sectors that have kept the nitrogen market relatively buoyant.
Nitrogen production plants, including air separation units (ASUs), nitrogen distributors and suppliers, and nitrogen markets are well established.
To adjust for demand fluctuations, nitrogen producers increase or decrease plant capacity utilization. Prior to 2007, before the onset of the recent recession, US nitrogen capacity utilization peaked, averaging 88 to 92 percent. As the recession hit and deepened, capacity declined steadily until hitting a trough averaging 67 to 72 percent. By the end of 2010 capacity utilization had rebounded following market demand to an average of 75 percent, a clear increase, but a long way from pre-recession levels.
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