CURRENT STATE OF THE RUSSIAN SALT INDUSTRY

Abstract

The relevance of the work is caused by the need to study the state of the Russian salt industry in the presence of significant import dependence on sodium chloride. The aim of the research is to study the dynamics of commodity flows (production, import, export, consumption) of sodium chloride and the commodity products produced from it, their prices (world, Russian imports and exports), the raw material base of rock salt in Russia and the prospects for increasing its national production. Methods: statistical, graphical, logical. Results. The Russian salt industry, despite significant production volumes (up to 6,5 million tons/year) and consumption growth (+3,8 %/year, to 7,8 million tons/year), has long been an import-dependent industry, importing up to 2,4 million tons/year or up to 45 % of national consumption. Only in 2019, the share of imports of rock salt decreased to 18 %. The dependence is caused by the established commodity flows of rock salt in the CIS economic space, initially mainly from Ukraine. After the political sanctions of 2014, the flow of Ukrainian salt was replaced by an increase in imports from Belarus and Kazakhstan. The raw material base of rock salt in Russia is practically unlimited, but production facilities are mainly in demand near the main consumers (the population of the European part of Russia and chemical enterprises in the West of the country). The factor of transport logistics for rock salt is crucial. The creation of new centers for rock salt extraction as well as the expansion of existing production of sodium chloride are problematic due to the low cost of this product. Therefore, the rate of salt production slowly replaced imported flows of rock salt against the background of faster growth of its national consumption. The increase in the national production of rock salt was mainly due to an increase in the production of associated technical sodium chloride in manufacturing potash salts of PJSC «Uralkali» (from 0,76 million tons in 2015 to 1,8 million tons in 2019). The increase in industrial salt consumption is caused by the growth in the production of hydrochloric acid (+3,5 %/year), hypochlorites, chlorates and perchlorates (+2,4 %/year), as well as a significant increase in the consumption of de-icing materials. The growth in volume of table salt preparation is possible at the objects of geotechnological development of the fields of PJSC Russol and JSC Bashkir Soda Company. The increase in industrial salt production is most real by increasing the yield of associated sodium chloride in the production of potash salts in PJSC «Uralkali», and also under the forthcoming project of construction of the Gremyachinskoe GOK JSC «MCC "EuroChem"».

Keywords

• russian salt industry
• raw material base
• industrial salt
• food salt
• production
• import
• consumption
• import dependence