Neste Chemicals and Rovin (Rotterdamse Vinyl Unie VOF) announced on April 5, that they have agreed to enter into an agreement which gives Rovin access to Neste's PVC capacity in Porvoo, Finland, with effect from January 1, 1996. Neste will continue to own and operate the plant. Neste Chemicals has been involved in the PVC business for over 20 years. It owns and operates the plant in Porvoo with an annual capacity of around 90,000 t. Neste has been developing advanced technology for producing PVC. Neste's primary markets for PVC are in the Nordic countries.

Rovin, owned by Shell and Akzo on 50/50 basis, is exclusively focused on the VCM and PVC businesses. Within the Netherlands, it produces PVC (capacity about 300,000 tpa) and its raw material VCM (Vinyl Chloride Monomer, capacity 520,000 tpa). Pursuant to the agreement 90,000 t PVC production capacity will be added to Rovin's existing production capacity, bringing a better balance in its VCM-PVC production. PVC produced by Rovin is put on the market by Shell companies, mainly in Western Europe. The agreement will help ensure the continuity of PVC production at the Porvoo site, securing some 125 jobs there.