Solvay Completes Coal Phase-Out at Soda Ash Facility in USA

Decarbonization Solvay Completes Coal Phase-Out at Soda Ash Facility in USA

2024-02-13 Source: Press release Solvay 2 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

Solvay GmbH

Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH

CAC ENGINEERING GMBH

Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

With an aim to reduce its carbon footprint, Solvay will now utilize natural gas to power its Green River soda ash unit in the USA. With this move, the firm has successfully completed a coal phase-out at the site.

The Green River facility produces soda ash and sodium bicarbonate from trona, a naturally occurring mineral. (Source: Solvay) — The Green River facility produces soda ash and sodium bicarbonate from trona, a naturally occurring mineral.
(Source: Solvay)

Brussels/Belgium – From the entrances of its Green River, Wyoming soda ash plant and Brussels headquarters, Solvay leaders announced the successful completion of the North American-based facility’s coal phase-out initiative.

The Green River facility produces soda ash and sodium bicarbonate from trona, a naturally occurring mineral. These products are used in numerous applications including flat glass for building insulation, container glass, detergents, animal feed, food and flue gas treatment, as well as fast growing markets for solar panels and lithium carbonate for electric battery vehicles.

“Solvay is determined to undertake its energy transition and reduce its carbon footprint through a number of initiatives, including coal phase-out. From today, we will no longer use coal at Green River. The decision to power this strategic, natural soda ash facility with natural gas enhances Solvay’s long-term competitiveness and sustainability,” said Philippe Kehren, Solvay CEO.

Stay up to Date

Do you want the latest news, specialist articles and information on new products? Then you can register for our free newsletter:

Choose your Newsletter

The Green River plant historically used coal as a primary energy source. Solvay’s global sustainability goals include a commitment to phase out coal for energy production before 2030. By 2025, overall emissions from Green River will have decreased by 20 % compared to 2021, despite a 25 % increase in production.

Following acquisition of the plant’s full ownership, Solvay announced plans in November 2022 to resume the construction of a 600-kiloton soda ash capacity expansion. The completion of the new terminal at the port of Vancouver US will support this expanded capacity and meet customers’ growing demand for a secure, competitive and decarbonized supply of soda ash.

“The capacity expansion remains on track, with production set to begin early next year,” said Philippe Kehren. “On top of the coal phase-out, Green River will soon deploy innovative technology to further reduce its emissions. Solvay is the first company to implement regenerative thermal oxidation to abate greenhouse gas emissions in a trona mine.”

Solvay operates seven soda ash plants worldwide. Beyond Green River, coal is being phased out at two plants, located in France and Germany. By the end of 2024, Solvay’s Rheinberg, Germany site will become the first soda ash plant in the world to be powered primarily with renewable energy. The last two Solvay plants using coal for energy production, located in Spain and Bulgaria, have also begun their journey with partial introduction of biomass and gas.

(ID:49911577)

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.