(BAT) Reference Document for the Production of Chlor-alkali ...

Chapter 1
Total capacity: 62.8 Mt
Mideast and Africa (5 %)
Asia/Pacific (19 %)
Western Europe (20 %)
Eastern Europe (4 %)
South America (3 %)
Source: [ 4, SRI Consulting 2008 ], [ 60, Chemical Week 2009 ]
China (26 %)
North America (23 %)
Figure 1.1: Share per region of world chlorine production capacities in 2008
After a fall at the beginning of the 1990s, production in western Europe now seems to be
stabilised at around 9 millions tonnes per year (9.2 million tonnes in 1999). This placed it
behind the United States, with production of 11.2 million tonnes in 1994, but ahead of Japan,
with 4.2 million tonnes production capacity in 1995. The worldwide chlorine production was 38
million tonnes in 1994. The global demand for both chlorine and caustic has been forecast to
increase, although mainly in Latin America and Asia.
Sustained growth in the US and Europe resulted in expansion to meet demand. Although there
have been some fluctuations, utilisation of plant capacity has remained at between 80 % and
95 % in both areas since the late 1980s. At the moment there is no overcapacity and new plant
investment seems to be under way [Euro Chlor report, 1997]. Global production capacity of
chlorine in 1995 was about 44 million tonnes, the EU accounting for about 24 % of that
capacity. Of world chlor-alkali capacity, 65 % is concentrated in three regions; North America,
western Europe and Japan [Beal, 1995].
The chlor-alkali process is one of the largest consumers of electrical energy. The chlorine
production of a country is an indicator of the state of development of its chemical industry.
Figure 1.2 gives an overview of how chlorine production and the utilisation ratio of plant
capacity have has developed since 1960 in western Europe. In EU-15 and EFTA countries,
production steadily increased from approximately 2 Mt in 1960 to approximately 9 Mt in the
mid-1990s. During the first decade of the 21st century, the production in EU-27 and EFTA
countries oscillated between 9.6 and 10.8 Mt with a sharp drop to 9.1 Mt in 2009 due to the
worldwide economic crisis. Following the same pattern, the utilisation ratio of plant capacity
oscillated between 80 % and 90 % and declined sharply to 71 % in 2009. In 2010, chlorine
production (10 Mt) and utilisation ratio (79 %) had almost fully recovered to pre-crisis levels
[ 2, Le Chlore 2002 ], [ 6, Euro Chlor 2011 ].
WORKING DRAFT IN PROGRESS
2 December 2011 TB/EIPPCB/CAK_Draft _1