ANSAC to raise soda ash quarterly prices

HOUSTON (ICIS)–ANSAC – the sales, marketing and logistics arm for three US soda ash producers – has announced that it is increasing soda ash prices by $25-30/tonne, effective 1 April, for customers with quarterly contract pricing, as contracts allow, a source at ANSAC said on Monday.

The majority of ANSAC’s quarterly contract pricing is in Asia.

Soda ash prices in Asia have jumped higher in recent weeks following the shutdown of China’s largest soda ash plant. On 1 February, Shandong Haihua’s shut down its 3m tonne/year soda ash plant at Weifang, Shandong province, due to leakage issues.

The producer is operating one of the two plants at the facility at partial capacity at the moment, but the larger, 1.8m tonne/year plant is expected to remain shut down for another six months. As a result, China’s domestic and export prices have climbed due to the supply shortage.

ANSAC, headquartered in Westport, Connecticut, is the international marketing arm for three US soda manufacturers: Tronox Alkali, Ciner Resources and Tata Chemicals. ANSAC will ship approximately 5m tonnes of soda ash around the world in 2016, a company source said.

Other US soda producers include Solvay Chemicals and Searles Valley Minerals.