Bulgaria's Solvay Sodi sets up subsidiary to step up decarbonisation at soda ash plant

The new facility, to be powered by refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and biomass, will replace the existing steam installation which uses imported coal and petrocoke and promote the circular economy, Solvay Sodi said in a press release earlier this week.

At the end of September, Devnya Energy sought approval for the project from the regional environmental agency in Varna. Construction is pencilled to start from 2023 onwards, with an expected go-live date in 2026.

The investment will amount to around 350 million levs ($175.4 million/179 million euro), state news agency BTA reported. Solvay Sodi declined a SeeNews request for more details on the investment.

The installation in Devnya, near Varna, will use pre-treated, non-recyclable and non-hazardous waste to produce RDF and thus eliminate at least 800,000 tonnes of landfill municipal waste per year in the region. It will help cut greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon emissions from the plant. The facility will use Solvay's proprietary flue gas purification system.

The potential use of waste biomass from local sources will further reduce emissions and the operating costs of agricultural producers, according to Solvay Sodi, which is a majority-owned unit of Belgium-based chemical company Solvay.

The Belgian group has already stated its plans to phase out coal at its Devnya soda ash plant by 2030.

Solvay Sodi is indirectly owned at 75% by Solvay, with the balance of 25% held by Turkish group Sisecam. The Bulgarian unit operates four locations in the country, including two plants, and produces soda ash, baking soda and calcium chloride.

(1 euro = 1.95583 levs)