Introduction

The Brazilian Association for the Chlor-Alkali and Derivatives Industry - Abiclor has the pleasure of providing to those interested another edition of the chlor-alkali industry Annual Report, with data from the 2012/2013 biennium.

In this report, the main indicators that portray the chlor-alkali industry in Brazil are presented, comprising data from the past two years of production, domestic sales, exports, imports, apparent consumption, raw materials, investments and general data of this sector. In addition to meeting the demand for information from the industry’s private and public research institutions, market and scholars, this publication reaffirms Abiclor’s commitment towards transparency and sustainability.

We thank the valuable contributions made by our member companies, without which this publication would not have been possible.



Aníbal do Vale
Chairman

Editorial

In 2013, the soda and chlorine industry production remained stable compared to the previous year. Variations in chlorine and caustic soda volumes were inexpressive. Chlorine production dropped 0.2% compared to 2012, while caustic soda recorded a discrete increment of 0.3%.

Domestic producers’ average capacity utilization stood at 83%, similar to the level achieved in 2012. It is worth noting that occasional problems, such as interruptions in electric power supply, led to significant production losses. Programmed technical stops in some industries also contributed to the production performance observed in 2013.

With respect to sales, considering that the sector directs its production to various industries such as metallurgy& steelmaking, paper&pulp, aluminum, textiles, soaps &detergents, food &beverages and water treatment, among others, the industry’s performance in 2013 was in line with Brazil’s economic activity.

Total sales of chlorine dropped 2.8% against 2012, from 164.6 thousand tons to 159.9 thousand tons.

As regards caustic soda, domestic sales were 2.3% lower than those recorded in 2012. Likewise, soda imports fell by 2.9% to 1,093.4 thousand tons imported in 2013, attributable to a retraction in the domestic market, particularly in the aluminum segment.

Despite the modest performance in recent years, investments are being made in the Northeast and a new project has just been announced for a factory in Minas Gerais state, signaling confidence in better future results.