Solvay expands soda ash ops with Williams acquisition

10 September 2003 22:29  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (CNI)--Solvay America said Wednesday it has acquired the American Soda unit of the natural gas pipelines group Williams Companies in an effort to expand its resource of sodium minerals in the US.

No one was immediately available at Solvay's headquarters in Houston and the companies did not reveal the purchase price.

But a Williams spokesperson at its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma told CNI the deal involves the acquisition of a mining and processing operation in Parachute, Colorado that is designed to produce 1m tonne/year of soda ash.

Williams said the divestiture is part of its continuing strategy to exit non-core holdings.

In its statement, Solvay said it expects to increase its customer base across a wide range of end uses in glass, detergents, chemicals and animal nutrition for soda ash and sodium bicarbonate.

The statement quoted Dick Hogan, senior vice president of Solvay Chemicals, saying the deal will allow the company to enhance efficiencies by cutting costs.

Solvay said the deal will expand its sodium minerals resources to include western Colorado nahcolite, a naturally-occurring form of sodium bicarbonate.

Solvay America is the US holding company for the North American subsidiaries of Belgium's Solvay Group.

By: Gary Taylor
+1 713 525 2653

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