Oltchim - Ramnicu Valcea may halt operations if the Arpechim Refinery in Pitesti is shutdown, considering that the latter is their only ethylene supplier. Oltchim uses ethylene to produce PVC, which accounts for some 40% of the company"s turnover. According to CEO Constantin Roibu, the lack of ethylene will also affect the other production units, as the electrolysis installation will not work without ethylene. Moreover, if production is reduced to half the capacity, production costs become too high.
Roibu believes it very hard to find another ethylene supplier as Oltchim requires very large quantities that can only be transported by truck, as railway regulations prohibit this kind of freight. He added that Oltchim was currently negotiating the acquisition of Arpechim"s petrochemical unit from Petrom and would not give up on negotiations even if the refinery was to close.