Solvay Maintains Investment Momentum with over $350 Million Identified for 2007

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Solvay SA (Brussels, Belgium) has been investing significantly in new capacity on a global scale for several years and this year looks to be no different. Industrial Info has identified over $350 million from twelve planned capital and maintenance projects expected to begin construction this year. An estimated 35% of this activity has already been approved or is nearing the construction phase. The United States will be home to a majority of the project activity with eight of these projects, although almost half of the total spending will take place in Brazil for the expansion of its Santo Andre chemical complex, including additional capacity of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and chlor-alkali products.

In the United States Solvay is kicking off the year with the startup of a significant investment that is expected to be complete and online within the next few months. This project is the addition of a number two polyethersulfone (PES) unit addition at the company's Marietta, Ohio plant site. Stone & Webster Canada Limited (Toronto, Ontario) provided E+P+C/M services for the estimated $50 million project that began construction in late 2005. One of the most significant projects being planned for this year in the United States could be the addition of a deca hydrate recovery system at Solvay’s Green River, Wyoming soda ash complex. A 10,000 ton demonstration unit is currently in place with the hopes of proving the ability to recover approximately 40% to 50% soda ash from tailings for use in the plant as feedstock.

A new grassroot plant planned in Dzerzhinsk, Russia will account for almost one third of the total spending identified to begin construction this year. This new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plant will cost an estimated $100 million to construct and produce an estimated 330,000 metric tons per year of product once complete in 2008.

View Plant Profile – 1060949 1013908 1017173 1069497
View Project Report – 10003106 45000375 81000200 67000722 67000579

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) provides marketing communication services ranging from industrial database solutions to market forecasting, custom analytics, and specialty promotions that support high-level image campaigns.