Competitive Supplier

2023 Chlorine Production

Euro Chlor systematically publishes the monthly European production and capacity utilisation of chlorine and caustic soda stocks here. These are aggregated figures reported by our members to Cefic.

In 2023 7,261 kilotonnes of chlorine were produced, marking an 11% decrease from 2022. The capacity utilisation rate further decreased from 69.8% in 2022 to 62.2% in 2023. This continuing downturn is attributed to a decline in economic activity, driven partly by increased European energy prices.

Together with Cefic colleagues, the Euro Chlor team and other Cefic members continue to flag the severity of the long-lasting low production volumes to the European Commission and Member State authorities.

European chlorine applications 2023

The two main applications for chlorine, together accounting for almost two-thirds, remain PVC/ EDC/ VCM and isocyanates/ oxygenates.

For a comprehensive overview of chlorine products, click here.

European caustic soda applications 2023

Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) has a diverse range of applications.

For a detailed overview of caustic soda products, click here.

European hydrogen applications 2023

Most of the hydrogen produced is used for steam generation, but it also has various other applications.

See all the hydrogen products here.    

*Note: The figure for vented hydrogen varies from that reported elsewhere in this report as it results from a separate questionnaire with a different level of detail.

Manufacturing Technologies

Membrane technology remains the dominant method for producing chlor-alkali in Europe, consisting of 86.8% of installed EU capacity in 2023 (86.2% in 2022). Diaphragm technology slightly decreased to 8.4% of capacity in 2023 from 9.5% in 2022.

The remaining 4.7% covers chlorine-alcoholate production, hydrochloric acid conversion to chlorine, metal production with chlorine and caustic production without hydrogen as a by-product.

Progressing Euro Chlor’s Cost Competitiveness Study

As reported in our 2022/ 2023 Industry Review, a study on the cost competitiveness of the European chlor-alkali industry was conducted by Argus Media. It revealed that, as early as 2015, our industry and its main downstream products were at a cost disadvantage compared to other regions. Since 2022 though, the European energy crisis has exacerbated this situation, contributing to the reduced capacity utilisation we see today.

Euro Chlor continues to track the latest legislative developments concerning energy and hydrogen, to build on the findings of the report and disseminate them further. More specifically, we have been emphasising the need for abundant and competitively priced low-carbon or renewable power with the European Commission Directorate General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW), as well as with the European Commission Directorate General for Energy (DG ENER).

The above efforts were supported and reinforced by Euro Chlor’s Energy Crisis Team and Cefic colleagues from the Climate Change and Energy and Industrial Policy Departments.

Electricity costs within the EU and compared to the US

For the third Sustainability Programme in 2021, Euro Chlor started assembling available public data on the cost of electricity in Europe, on the comparison with prices in the USA and the cost of CO2 in Europe compared with other regions.

As far as differences in electricity prices amongst EU Member States are concerned, the following heat map gives a view on all those EU countries in which Euro Chlor members have some production capacity.

The graph below compares average US electricity prices with the weighted average values seen in Europe. We saw a sharp increase of the gap to 102 Euro/MWh compared to 50 Euro/MWh in 2022 and 9 Euro/MWh in 2021.

CO2 prices around the world

CO2 prices also increased in the EU over the past year and remain much higher than in other regions of the world.

Net caustic soda import

The level of net import of caustic soda (as 50%) into the EU is a KPI implemented by Euro Chlor in 2017. A peak can be seen in 2018, primarily due to the completion of the remaining mercury conversion projects. From 2019 onwards, the imports seem to steadily decrease, with an unexpected increase in 2022 followed by a historically low net import value of 187,772 tons of NaOH (50%) in 2023.

Chlorine production plants 1st January 2024 capacities

Process:
D = diaphragm
M = membrane
“Others” includes HCI electrolysis, ODC molten salt electrolysis, alcoholates.

Non Euro Chlor members are indicated in italics.

 

Country

Company

Site

Total
(kt Cl2)

D

M

Others
1 Austria Donau Chemie Brückl 75 75
Austria Total 75 0 75 0
3 Belgium INEOS Inovyn Lillo 500 500
4 Belgium INEOS Inovyn Jemeppe 174 174
5 Belgium Vynova Tessenderlo 400 400
Belgium Total 1,074 0 1,074 0
7 Czech Republic Spolek (Spolchemie) Ústí nad Labem 78 78
Czech Republik Total 78 0 78 0
9 Finland Kemira Joutseno 75 75
Finland Total 75 0 75 0
10 France Vynova PPC Thann 42 42
11 France Vencorex Pont de Claix 118 118
12 France KEM ONE Fos 333 178 155
13 France Arkema Jarrie 75 75
14 France KEM ONE Lavera 341 341
15 France Arkema Saint-Auban 20 20
16 France MSSA Pomblière 42 42
18 France INEOS Inovyn Tavaux 370 370
19 France Kuhlmann France Loos 38 38
France Total 1,379 178 1,159 42
20 Germany BASF Ludwigshafen 595 315 280
21 Germany Covestro Dormagen 480 400 80
22 Germany Covestro Leverkusen 390 390
23 Germany Covestro Krefeld-Ürdingen 290 290
24 Germany Covestro Brunsbüttel 220 220
25 Germany Dow Schkopau 253 253
26 Germany Westlake Vinnolit Hürth-Knapsack 250 250
27 Germany CABB GmbH Gersthofen 57 55 2
28 Germany Dow Stade 1,624 1,024 600
29 Germany Neolyse Ibbenbüren GmbH Ibbenbüren 82 82
30 Germany Nobian Bitterfeld 99 99
31 Germany Lülsdorf Functional Solutions Lülsdorf 77 77
33 Germany Nobian Frankfurt 283 283
34 Germany INEOS Inovyn Rheinberg 220 110 110
35 Germany VESTOLIT Marl 260 260
36 Germany Westlake Vinnolit Gendorf 205 205
37 Germany Wacker Chemie Burghausen 55 55
96 Germany LEUNA-Harze Leuna 15 15
Germany Total 5,455 1,134 3,662 659
94 Greece Kapachim Inofita Viotias 11 11
Greece Total 11 0 11 0
39 Hungary BorsodChem Kazincbarcika 480 384 96
Hungary Total 480 0 384 96
40 Ireland Micro Bio Fermoy 11 11
Ireland Total 11 0 11 0
41 Italy Altair Chemical Volterra 75 75
42 Italy Società Chimica Bussi S.p.A. Bussi 18 18
44 Italy Società Chimica Assemini Assemini 27 27
49 Italy INEOS Inovyn Rosignano 150 150
50 Italy Altair Chemical Pieve Vergonte 42 42
93 Italy Fater Campochiaro 20 20
99 Italy Halo Industry Spa Torviscosa 25 25
Italy Total 357 0 357 0
51 The Netherlands Nobian Botlek 637 637
52 The Netherlands Nobian Delfzijl 121 121
54 The Netherlands Sabic Bergen op Zoom 89 89
The Netherlands Total 847 0 847 0
55 Norway Borregaard Sarpsborg 45 45
56 Norway Elkem Bremanger 11 11
57 Norway INOVYN Norge Rafnes 315 315
Norway Total 371 0 371 0
58 Poland PCC Rokita Brzeg Dolny 210 210
60 Poland Anwil Wloclawek 195 195
Poland Total 405 0 405 0
62 Portugal Bondalti Chemicals Estarreja 142 94 48
Portugal Total 142 0 94 48
91 Romania Chimcomplex

Râmnicu Vâlcea

 106 106
92 Romania Chimcomplex

Borzeşti

 102 102
Romania Total 208 0 208 0
63 Slovak Republik Fortischem Nováky 70   70  
Slovak Republik Total 70 0 70 0
88 Slovenia TKI Hrastnik Hrastnik 16   16  
Slovenia Total 16 0 16 0
64 Spain Electroquimica Onubense Huelva/Palos 44 44
65 Spain Ercros

Sabiñanigo

 45 45
66 Spain Ercros Vila-seca 172 172
67 Spain

Electroquímica de Hernani

 Hernani 30 30
70 Spain

Química del Cinca

Monzón

 60 60
72 Spain Bondalti Chemicals Torrelavega 60 60
100 Spain Biomca Química Santa Cruz de Tenerife 5 5
101 Spain Covestro Tarragona 100 100
Spain Total 516 0 416 100
75 Sweden INOVYN Sverige Stenungsund 123 0 123 0
Sweden Total 123 0 123 0
77 Switzerland CABB AG Pratteln 47 0 47 0
Switzerland Total 47 0 47 0
85 UK Brenntag UK Ltd Thetford 7 7
97 UK Industrial Chemicals Ltd West Thurrock 44 44
98* UK Runcorn MCP Ltd Runcorn 225 225
98* UK INOVYN ChlorVinyls Limited Runcorn 215 215
UK Total 491 0 491 0
Grand Total (kt Cl2) 12,231 1,312 9,974 945
Per process (percentage) 10.7% 81.6% 7.7%

 

*Both operating on the Runcorn Site

Euro Chlor Members and Partners

Click here to get a visual overview of our member manufacturing locations, countries where our members operate and their capacity. Also click on the links below to see the Euro Chlor members and partners.

Euro Chlor members
Euro Chlor partners

Read a list of these in our printed report here.