Europe Jan chlorine output up 10%, caustic stocks up 4.7%

10 February 2012 15:17  [Source: ICIS news]

LONDON (ICIS)--Average European daily chlorine production in January increased by 10% from December 2011, while inventories of co-product caustic soda increased by 4.7% in the same period, industry body Euro Chlor said on Friday.

Average daily production of chlorine for the region comprising the EU27, Norway and Switzerland, stood at 27,116 tonnes in January, up from 24,644 tonnes in December 2011. Caustic soda stocks in January were at 244,121 tonnes, up from 233,072 tonnes in December.

Euro Chlor's year-on-year figures showed that average daily chlorine production was 2.3% lower than in January 2011, while caustic soda stocks were 27,547 tonnes below the January 2011 level of 271,668 tonnes.

Chlorine capacity utilisation in January stood at 78.7%, up from 71.3% in the previous month, but down from 80.4% in January 2011. This has been the first increase in capacity utilisation in Europe since June 2011, when operating rates were at 83.0%.

Chlorine production & capacity utilisation

Month	Production (tonnes)			Capacity Utilisation (%)
	2011	2012	Change (%)	2011	2012
January	860,558	840,605	-2.3	80.4	78.7

Caustic soda stocks (tonnes)

	2011	2012
January	271,668	244,121

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By: Abache Abreu
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