European chlorine utilization rates hit 81.3% in May, up on year, month: Euro Chlor

Europe's chlorine production capacity utilization rate rose to 81.3% in May, up from 73.9% in the same period in 2020 and up from 80.8% in April, according to industry body Euro Chlor.

Utilization rates in May recovered from the 2021 low in April, but were still down from the 2021 high of 89.4% recorded in February, according to the data, which covers the EU27, Norway, the UK and Switzerland.

Chlorine production in May rose more 10% year on year to 800,970 mt, from 725,822 mt produced in May 2020 and up more than 30,000 mt from the April production figure.

Stocks of co-product caustic soda, however, dropped 8.5% to 191,318 mt at the end of May from 206,098 mt a year earlier and down almost 25% from the 2021 high of 254,122 mt registered at the end of February.

A series of unplanned production glitches and force majeure declarations hit European caustic soda production in the second quarter, tightening supply and forcing spot prices higher, assessed at $400/dmt on June 30, up 48% or $130/mt from the April 27 assessment, according to S&P Global Platts data.