The Chilean chemical industry comprises of 130 companies that produce and supply around 300 chemical substances. Some of these companies are importers and distributors of chemicals and do not have manufacturing facilities. The value of business in this industry exceeded more than US$4.5 billion in 2003. Chemical exports are important and contribute to approximately 8% of the total Chilean exports.
The main exports are methanol, inorganic compounds (nitrates, iodine, lithium carbonate and sodium chloride), combustibles (petrol, diesel, and fuel oil), derivatives of algae and plastic resins (polypropylene and low density polyethylene).
The production of some chemical products such as nitrates, lithium carbonate and iodine compounds, has reached world scale levels thanks to the existence of important salt reserves in the north of Chile. Methanol is a further product that falls in this category and is produced in the extreme south of the country having access to world markets via both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Companies to be considered world class are Grupo SQM (nitrates, iodine and compounds), Methanex (methanol) and Sociedad Chilena de Litio (lithium carbonate). Other important players in the chemical industry are Oxiquim, Harting, Panichem, Petrox, Occidental Chemical, Eka Chemicals, Petroquim and Petrodow.
It should also be mentioned that as a result of the many trade agreements, Chile has signed on bi- and multilateral level as well as regional level, the country’s chemicals products have gained entrance into numerous markets worldwide.
