American Soda Mothballs Soda Ash

05 April 2004 00:01  [Source: ICB Americas]

American Soda LLP, a subsidiary of Solvay America Inc., will mothball its solution mining and soda ash production in Parachute, Colo., in the wake of  high energy costs and the operation's continued losses. The companyÕs soda ash customers will be supplied from Solvay Chemicals Inc.'s Green River, Wyo., facility.

The sodium bicarbonate plant at the Parachute site will switch to feedstock from Solvay's Green River facility. "We believe the sodium bicarbonate business is a valuable asset in the purchase of American Soda LLP, and the customer response to the mix of Solvay Chemicals products has been very positive," notes Dick Hogan, vice president of Solvay Chemicals.

Last September, Solvay purchased American Soda from natural gas pipelines group Williams Company for less than $50 million, according to a Solvay spokesperson at the time of the acquisition. The Parachute operation was designed to produce roughly 800,000 to 1 million tons per year of soda ash. However, the plant has encountered numerous problems since production began in 2002.

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly