The contract awarded to Thyssenkrupp also includes engineering, equipment and consulting services during the construction and commissioning of the plant, Thyssenkrupp said. As part of the project, Unipar, a producer of chlorine, caustic soda and polyvinyl chloride (PVC), will replace the existing mercury and diaphragm plants in Cubatão with electrolysers using Thyssenkrupp Nucera's bipolar membrane technology.

The technological upgrade will ensure an annual chlorine production capacity of 210,000 t and reduce Unipar's annual CO₂ emissions by 70,000 t, Thyssenkrupp said. Other benefits include reduced waste production and lower energy consumption.

“The modernization of our plant is a measure of enormous importance for us in strengthening our market position. Reliability, efficiency, and energy savings due to the chlor-alkali technology used are of immense importance,” said Rodrigo Cannaval, industrial executive director at Unipar. The Brazilian group already uses Thyssenkrupp's membrane technology at other plants in the country.

The facility at Cubatão is Unipar’s largest plant in terms of production, particularly of chlorine and caustic soda, the company said. Unipar claims to be the second largest PVC producer in South America after Braskem.