Solvay (Brussels, Belgium) and SolVin, the joint venture subsidiary of Solvay and BASF for vinyl supply in Europe, have signed a joint venture agreement with Sibur LLC, an affiliate of Gazprom, to build Russia’s first worldscale, fully integrated PVC plant in Kstovo, in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Pending relevant regulatory clearance, the production site is scheduled to be operational in 2010. A total investment of €€650 million is planned for an annual capacity of 330 kilotonnes of PVC and 225 kilotonnes of caustic soda. The plant will be supplied with ethylene from a cracker owned by Sibur.

SolVin and Sibur Holding will create a 50/50 joint venture called RusVinyl. The Solvay group is one of the world’s leading vinyls producer, ranking second in Europe and third globally. In addition to SolVin in Europe, the Group’s activities in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other vinyl-chain products span Asia and Latin America, through affiliate Vinylthai in Thailand and Solvay Indupa in Argentina and Brazil. PVC demand in Russia is surging, especially from the B&C market, but domestic supply remains limited (see July MPW, pg. 54-55, for more).—[email protected]