The Dow Chemical Co. recently announced that its joint venture membrane chlor-alkali facility with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, Japan, has successfully initiated full-scale commercial production. Dow’s share of the chlorine produced at the Freeport, Texas, facility is intended to serve the growing feedstock needs of its performance- and market-driven businesses. In addition, Dow will market the caustic soda on behalf of the joint venture.

“This world-class facility allows us to capitalize on our modern and efficient membrane chlor-alkali technology and serves as a real-life proof point of how new, competitive energy resources in the U.S. are reshaping the landscape of U.S. Gulf Coast manufacturing,” said James (Jim) R. Fitterling, executive vice president of Dow. “This joint venture bolsters the integration strength of the chlorine value chain at the Freeport site in a capital-efficient model that allows Dow to invest in more downstream technology and customer-driven businesses with higher and more consistent earnings.”