INOVYN has this week placed orders for additional major plant items to deliver its investment in a large scale potassium hydroxide (KOH) production facility at its Antwerp/Lillo Site (Belgium). This includes a KOH Evaporation Unit from Bertrams Chemical Plants Ltd.
This is a significant milestone in the development of INOVYN’s new KOH plant (which is now confirmed as 155kT of KOH with 100kT of chlorine) that will use the latest membrane technology and forms a key part of INOVYN’s Chlorine Strategy. INOVYN has also this week received first round bids for the key Engineering, Procurement, Construction & Management (EPCM) contract, with the final contractor expected to be appointed later in Q1 2016.
INOVYN’s site at Antwerp/Lillo was selected for the investment as it is well situated to serve customers in Europe and beyond, with the nearby Port of Antwerp facilitating KOH movements by ship. The Site is a highly competitive location given it has major customers for the co-produced chlorine, which are linked directly to the Site by pipeline. It is also strategically positioned for imports of potassium chloride, a key raw material in KOH production.
Comments Jean-Michel Mesland, Operations Director for INOVYN: “We are delighted with the progress of our project so far. The procurement of additional major plant items and the receipt of first round bids for the key engineering contract means our project is now gathering real momentum and we remain well on track to start KOH production at Antwerp/Lillo late 2017.
“Through this investment INOVYN is leading the way in providing continuity of supply to customers and it demonstrates our long term commitment to the KOH market.”
ENDS
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Formed on 1 July 2015, INOVYN is a PVC producer that ranks among the top three worldwide. With an annual turnover in excess of €3.5 billion, INOVYN has more than 4,300 employees and manufacturing, sales and marketing operations in ten countries across Europe.
INOVYN’s portfolio consists of an extensive range of class leading products arranged across Organic Chlorine Derivatives, Chlor Alkali, General Purpose Vinyls and Specialty Vinyls. Annual production volumes are in excess of 40 million tonnes.
Bertrams Chemical Plants Ltd. is an internationally active enterprise, with Liaison Offices in India and China and representatives in many other countries around the globe. Its headquarters are located in Muttenz, near Basel, Switzerland. The Company’s field of activity ranges from the preparation of feasibility studies, basic engineering and overall planning up to the realisation of turn-key installations. Specialised activities include plants for the chlor-alkali industry to concentrate and/or solidify alkalis; H2SO4 recycling systems for the re-concentration, purification and recovery of sulfuric acid; and wet oxidation units for the treatment of waste waters that are not readily biodegradable.
