Solvay is setting up a EUR75 million worth-Highly Dispersible Silica (HDS) plant in Włocławek and expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2014. With the new plant’s capacity of 85,000 tonne per year to add up to the capacity expansion of 112,000 tonnes per year at its site in Qingdao (China) that started in 2010 and is due completion end of this year, these two investments will increase Solvay’s global highly dispersible silica production capacity by an additional 30%.

Furthermore, upon completion of the above projects combined with the volume expansions in France (2012) and the US (2011) will render Solvay an annual production capacity that will stand close to 500,000 tonnes, doubling from pre-2010 levels.

The location of the new plant, being in central Poland that is close to key energy distribution and the new Warsaw-Gdansk highway, will offer logistical benefits to customers in Eastern Europe and Russia. The site is a designated Special Economic Zone (SEZ) integrated within the industrial site of Anwil, a subsidiary of the Polish refining and energy company PKN Orlen.

“This new site will offer our most innovative products from a very reliable and competitive platform. We continue to be committed to invest ahead of industry development to preserve our technological and market leadership,” said Tom Benner, President of Solvay Silica.

Amongst other HDS products, the new plant will produce Zeosil Premium, the latest generation of highly dispersible silica, used in manufacturing energy-saving tyres. Premium decreases fuel consumption by up to 7%, whilst enhancing other tyre performance properties.