MOSCOW (MRC) - Brazilian company Unipar Indupa plans to expand chlorine and caustic soda production at its Santo Andre plant (Santo Andre, Sao Paulo, Brazil), said the company.
The company plans to increase the production of chlorine by 29,000 tonnes, caustic soda by 32,000 tonnes per year. The project includes the construction of a hydrochloric acid furnace with a capacity of 91,000 tonnes per year. The construction and furnace will cost approximately USD 17.9 mln, with commissioning expected in the second half of 2023.
In general, Grupo Unipar will increase its production capacity in Brazil to 545,000 tonnes of chlorine per year, 615,000 tonnes of caustic soda per year and 755,000 tonnes of hydrochloric acid per year.
In a statement, Unipar said the expansion is in line with the company's strategy to strengthen its position in the chlorine, caustic soda and chemical derivatives markets.
Earlier it was reported that Unipar cut caustic soda production in Cubatan and Santo Andre (Cubatao, Santo Andre, Sao Paulo state, Brazil) to 50% amid the worsening economic situation in the country due to the coronavirus. In Cubatan, the company manages a production capacity of 398 thousand tons of caustic soda and 207,000 tonnes of chlorine per year, and in Santo Andre - 174 thousand tons of caustic soda per year. According to the source, this period will last until approximately May 8.
As MRC reported earlier, the June production of sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) amounted to 103,000 tonnes (100% of the main substance) against 105,000 tonnes a month earlier. For the first half of the year, the total production of caustic soda amounted to 642,500 tonnes, which is 1.2% less than the same indicator of the previous year.
Unipar Indupa, Braskem, Unipar Carbocloro, Vestolit and Pequiven are PVC producers in Latin America.
MRC