A manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products, Westlake Chemical Corporation started-up its new chlor-alkali plant located at its vinyls manufacturing complex in Geismar, Louisiana.

The firm said its new chlor-alkali plant has the capacity to produce 350,000 electrochemical units annually and utilizes state of the art membrane technology. The plant, which added approximately 70 full-time positions, is adjacent to the existing vinyl chloride monomer and polyvinyl chloride facilities at the Geismar complex. At its peak over 2000 constructions personnel were utilized in building the new plant.

“When combined with the existing membrane chlor-alkali capacity at the Calvert City, Kentucky, vinyls complex, the company will have the ability to produce up to 650,000 ECU's annually at these two sites to meet ongoing customer needs,” the company said. “The addition of this new plant is consistent with Westlake's vertical integration strategy for its vinyls business and will allow the company to continue to expand and optimize the vinyls chain, including the anticipated addition of 200mm pounds per year of PVC at the company's Calvert City PVC plant during the second quarter of 2014.”