AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals is expanding chlor-alkali production at Rotterdam to strengthen its local industrial cluster. As part of the plan, the company recently sold to Dutch private equity investors Carlyle and Singapore sovereign wealth fund will invest in a second production line for chlorine and caustic soda while implementing other upgrades.

The new line, due for completion by 2021, will ensure a continuous supply of chlorine, including when one line is undergoing maintenance, the Akzo spin-off said. It will also enable the expansion of production capacity in the future to accommodate further demand growth.

As part of the site upgrade, the plant in the heart of an important industrial cluster for several essential chlorine derivatives including PVC, epoxy resins and polyurethane, the specialty chemicals producer has already implemented its new e-flex technology, which uses data analytics to automatically adjust chlorine production levels in line with changes in electricity supplies, thereby optimizing costs.

Using flexibility,  both in chemical production and electricity generation, will also help energy providers to balance swings in supply from renewable sources such as wind power, said large Knut Schwalenberg, executive committee member responsible for Industrial Chemicals. “Taking advantage of digital technologies such as e-flex also shows that digitalization, business growth and a sustainable future can go hand in hand," CEO Werner Fuhrmann added.

The Rotterdam site has the biggest single-line electrolysis unit in Europe, with a production capacity of over 630,000 tons per year of chlorine, as well as caustic soda and hydrogen. Following the upgrade, Schwalenberg said the site will lay claim to having “the most advanced chlorine plant in the world.”