US January soda ash production up 5% yr-on-yr

17 March 2008 18:53  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US soda ash production was 905,000 tonnes in January, up by nearly 5% from the same month one year before, according to data the US Geological Survey (USGS) released on Monday.

Production was down by 3% from the 936,000 tonnes produced in December, the USGS said.

The US produced 11.1m tonnes of soda ash in 2007, up by 1% from the previous year. It exported 392,000 tonnes in December, with nearly one-fifth of that going to Mexico.

The US soda ash market is extremely tight, with construction booms in Latin America, China and India leading to high demand for US material.

Major producer FMC Wyoming said in February it would bring its Granger plant in Wyoming to full production capacity by 2012 to help alleviate demand.

Other US soda ash producers include Solvay Soda Ash, OCI, General Chemical and Searles Valley Minerals.

By: Ben Lefebvre
+1 713 525 2653

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