INEOS ChlorVinyls resumes production at Runcorn chlorine plant, UK

19 April 2011 15:53  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--Major chlor-alkali producer INEOS ChlorVinyls has restarted its 763,000 tonne/year chlorine plant at Runcorn, northwest UK, a company source said on Tuesday.

The unit resumed operations last week after a three-week maintenance shutdown. A market source said the plant was now running at normal capacity, although this could not be confirmed.

Market sources said the turnaround had led to a temporary product shortage in the local market. One distributor said it had been forced to import material from mainland Europe to meet customer demand.

INEOS ChlorVinyls is the only chlorine producer in the UK and the largest polyvinyl chloride (PVC) producer in Europe.

The company has yet to restart its 155,000 tonne/year methylene chloride and chloroform facilities, also at Runcorn, despite expectations that production would resume by about 17 April. A company source said on Tuesday that technical problems had delayed the operations.

Production at the plant stopped on 12 March for a month-long maintenance shutdown. The facility produces 100,000 tonnes/year of methylene chloride, 55,000 tonnes/year of chloroform and smaller quantities of carbon tetrachloride.

For more on INEOS, visit ICIS company intelligence
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By: Abache Abreu
+44 2086523214

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