Two Joint Ventures Planned For Russia

Solvay’s Rhodia unit and Russia-based Sibur have firmed up previously announced plans for a joint venture in specialty surfactants. The partners say they will set up production at a Sibur petrochemical site in Dzerzhinsk, Russia. The plant is expected to open in 2014, making surfactants for markets such as personal care and oil and gas. Meanwhile, the German coal tar distiller Rütgers is joining with Russian steel maker Severstal to build a coal tar distillery at Severstal’s Cherepovets steel mill in Russia. Expected to cost about $27 million, the facility will manufacture naphthalene and industrial oils for the chemical industry and vacuumized pitch for the aluminum industry.