Kemira has announced plans to invest a multi-million euro sum to expand production of chlor-alkali at its site in Joutseno, Finland. The additional capacity is expected to be operational during the fourth quarter of 2018 and will, said Kemira, meet the country’s growing need for caustic soda. 

Capacity details were not revealed although industry association Euro Chlor lists the plant as producing 75,000 t/y of chlorine. The Joutseno site produces caustic soda, hydrochloric acid and sodium hypochlorite for the pulp and paper and process industries as well as for municipal water treatment.

Last September, Kemira finalized a €50 million investment in a new sodium chlorate production line at Joutseno. The line is based on Kemira’s proprietary in-house technology.

Kemira said demand for bleaching chemicals is increasing as a result of pulp mill expansions and greenfield projects in the Nordics. Sodium chlorate is the raw material for chlorine dioxide, which is produced on-site at the pulp mills and is the primary bleaching agent for kraft pulp.

In separate news, Kemira has signed a multi-year agreement to supply Chevron North Sea with high-quality polymer (polyacrylamides) for Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR). Kemira had previously instigated an expansion of its polyacrylamides capacity in Botlek, the Netherlands, to service the agreement.

The project is costing around €30 million, and the additional capacity is expected to be commercially available by the beginning of 2019.