- 75% reduction in water consumption at our Balan plant by 2030

22/08/23

On 21 August 2023, the Kem One plant in Balan received a visit from three ministers as part of the "Water Plan". The teams presented the solutions already implemented and the prospects for reducing water consumption.

On Monday 21 August 2023, Christophe Béchu, Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion, Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry, and Sarah El Haïry, Secretary of State for Biodiversity, visited the Balan industrial platform to discuss the efforts made by industry to reduce water consumption, as part of the national Water Plan.

A discussion between Christophe Béchu, Roland Lescure, Sarah El Haïry and the teams on the ground about the measures taken to reduce water consumption at the Balan PVC plant.

Kem_One_Balan_plan_eau_PVC1

"We didn't come to the Kem One site in Balan by chance," said Christophe Béchu, "the company is already committed to reducing its water consumption and motivated to continue its efforts in all areas of ecological transition."

Committed for more than 10 years to improving its energy performance and conserving water resources, the industrial platform has set itself ambitious targets for 2030: to reduce its water consumption by a further 75%.

Industrial uses of water on the platform  

  • steam production
  • cooling or heating equipment
  • fire-fighting 
  • the manufacturing process (transformation reaction of vinyl chloride monomer into PVC in water)

Water_consumptions_Balan

"We are reducing our water consumption by taking action at several levels," explains Romain Petroff, manager of the Balan platform. "By tracking down leaks in the underground network and changing the way we work, we have reduced our water consumption by 9%. The reuse of process water in our equipment and for pump rinsing, which requires greater investment, has led to further reductions.

WAYS TO REDUCE WATER CONSUMPTION BY 2030

In the longer term, Kem One is working on technical innovations with the aim of recycling the water used to manufacture PVC and using it in a loop in its process.

The Balan site is also looking into the possibility of replacing the use of groundwater drilling with surface extraction from the Rhône river. The site's wastewater could also be used for nearby agricultural irrigation.

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