Partners on site

BASF and Air Liquide have been working in close partnership in Belgium for 45 years. The BASF site in Antwerp is also a key site for Air Liquide with a worldwide scale air seperation installation for the production of Oxygen (O₂), Nitrogen (N₂) and Argon (Ar) and two dedicated installations for hydrogen (H₂) and carbonmonoxide (CO). Air Liquide's investment in Antwerp is sustained and continuous: in 2015 Air Liquide's second carbonmonoxyde (CO) plant was inaugurated in Antwerp.

The largest part of these industrial gasses are dedicated to a reliable supply of BASF. They are also one of the sources of the Air Liquide gas-pipeline network that supplies industries through the Benelux. The installations are operated by Air Liquide specialists.

Website: www.airliquide-benelux.com

Combinant (Combined Terminal Antwerp) is an open access railway terminal for intermodal transport. Its central location in the port of Antwerp and its partnership with various railway operators enable Combinant to offer an extensive European railway network. Combinant was founded as a joint venture between BASF, Hupac and Hoyer with support from the European authorities and the Flemish government. Replacing part of the road transport with railway transport reduces the burden on the environment.

Combinant numbers:

• 5 railway tracks
  
• 3 portal cranes
  
• 1 reach stacker
• 10 to 12 trains per day
• 140.000 container moves per year
• 30 to 40 jobs
   

Website: www.combinant.be

EuroChem Antwerpen produces approximately 1 million tons of simple nitrogen fertilizers and approximately 1.2 million tons of composite NPK fertilizers per year. This production capacity makes EuroChem Antwerpen an important production site within the international EuroChem group.

The mineral fertilizer production in Antwerp began in 1967 and was taken over by the EuroChem group on 1 April 2012. The strategy of the group is based on intensive vertical integration. EuroChem keeps its costs down at every point of the chain, from access to its own raw materials (natural gas, phosphate rock, potash) via production and logistics to its own distribution network. This strategy enables EuroChem to become a global player in the mineral fertilizer sector.

By acquiring the Antwerp facilities EuroChem does not just gain assets, but more importantly, a vast body of knowledge and experience regarding production of the (predominantly) speciality mineral fertilizers. The involvement of the EuroChem group in Antwerp is part of a deliberate growth strategy centred on the production of mineral fertilizers. This is an exciting perspective, both for its 375 employees and for the site in Antwerp.

Website: www.eurochemgroup.com

Evides Industriewater is part of Evides, supplier of drinking water in Zeeland (NL). Since its formation in 2004, Evides Industriewater had grown into a leading supplier of industrial water services in the Benelux and Germany.

Evides Industriewater specialises in custom work. Specific needs require specific solutions. Evides delivers processing water of various qualities: from purified surface water to high-quality demineralised processing water. These different types of water are used for a wide range of applications in the chemical and petrochemical industry, the energy sector and the food and beverage industry. Futhermore Evides is specialist in waste water treatment.

Website: www.evides.nl/industriewater

INOVYN is a 50/50 joint venture which combines the chlorovinyl activities of SOLVAY and INEOS. This collaboration, formed on 1 July 2015, created a PVC producer which ranks in the top three on the global market.

INOVYN is the market leader for a wide range of products in its portfolio of organochlorine derivatives, chloralkali, vinyls for general use and speciality vinyls. Its annual production volume is over 40 million tons.

The chemical cluster of INOVYN has two sites for chloralkali products at the port of Antwerp:

• INOVYN Belgium NV in Zandvliet with its main product ethylene dichloride
• INOVYN Manufacturing Belgium NV in Lillo with its main products chlorine and lye

Website: www.inovyn.com

The Zandvliet site is home to a hydrogen peroxide plant owned by the joint venture BASF Interox H2O2 Production NV, with a capacity of 230 kt/year which is used by Solvay Chimie, and a hydrogen peroxide concentration unit owned by Solvay Chimie, which is capable of producing hydrogen peroxide concentrations of up to 70%.

Website: www.solvay.com

INEOS Styrolution Belgium was formed in 2011 as an important branch of the Styrolution group, a joint venture between BASF and INEOS. INEOS Styrolution has been 100% part of INEOS since 2014.

INEOS Styrolution is a global leader in the styrenics market. About 350 in-house workers are employed in Antwerp, where the raw materials ethylbenzene and styrene and the synthetics ABS, Polystyrene and Styrolux® are produced at 4 world-class plants.

Website: www.styrolution.com

Zandvliet Power NV was formed in 2002 and is a 50/50 joint venture between Electrabel and BASF Antwerpen. At this facility, natural gas is converted to electricity and steam using the principles of a combined cycle power plant. The plant is operated and maintained by Electrabel.