The modular chemicals industry takes off
The production project for electrolysis plants and water-treatment technologies at the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Pesquera Dársena is preparing to move up to an industrial scale. Technological firm Welysis Industries has formally requested the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority to make a substantial change to its public land concession. The proposal includes an expansion of area that doubles the space originally allocated, along with an increase of more than 10% in the building volume initially planned for its manufacturing facilities.
The company received approval from the Port Authority’s Board of Directors in November 2021 to set up on plot 70 of the new infill areas of the Pesquera Dársena, an area that at the time totaled 4,569 square meters. The new request aims to add a further 5,303 square meters of public port domain. The move responds to the need to provide greater manufacturing capacity for an initiative designed to export high value-added capital goods from the Canary Islands to emerging markets.
Small-scale chlorine production for global supply
The business at Welysis Industries is based on the design and assembly of modular saline electrolysis plants with compact dimensions. The main product derived from these industrial systems is sodium hypochlorite, whose aqueous solution forms the basis of commercial bleach and chlorine disinfection systems, although the machinery is technically capable of producing sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid simultaneously. The company’s commercial goal is to leverage Canary Islands’ geographic advantages to export low-cost water-purification solutions to remote communities in West Africa and Latin America.
The viability of this modular technology is especially notable in remote regions with chronic problems accessing safe drinking water. In such environments, transporting liquid chemical products ready for use is either logistically unfeasible or prohibitively expensive due to the instability of the compound itself and the poor condition of land-transport infrastructure. Installing small-scale electrolysis equipment at final consumption points allows the generation of high-purity disinfectants in situ from basic inputs such as common salt and electric power.
Tax umbrella of the Tenerife Free Zone
The planned manufacturing operations fit within the customs and tax incentives offered by the Tenerife Free Zone of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The company’s specific activity conditions, based on importing high-precision technological components and subsequently exporting the assembled plants to third countries outside the customs territory of the European Union, allow it to optimize the cost structure of the Tenerife plant. Tariff exemptions and customs processing simplification are a crucial competitive pull factor compared with other industrial hubs across continental Europe.
The development of this production center is seen as a milestone for the islands’ industrial diversification plans aimed at the green economy and the development of water-resource treatment technologies. The presence of this type of advanced manufacturing opens a channel for technology transfer and training specialized labor in techniques for chemical engineering, maintenance of industrial equipment, and complex mechanical assemblies in an economy heavily oriented toward the services sector.
Green hydrogen and zero-emission mobility
The medium-term roadmap envisions that the factory’s operations will serve as a platform for exploring new development lines linked to the energy sector. The company plans to design pilot programs in a second phase for the use of byproducts derived from saline electrolysis, with special attention to the hydrogen generated during the electrochemical process.
The firm’s technology development plans will explore the feasibility of using this energy vector to supply land logistics fleets or port vehicles with zero polluting emissions. The application to expand the space in the Pesquera Dársena has now entered a 20 business-day public exposure period for third parties interested in the port’s service area to submit questions or objections.
First published by: canarymaritime.com.
