Construction of the Chornomorskyi Solezavod salt plant in Odesa region is entering its final phase. The project, financed with around USD 2.8 million under the state-backed “5–7–9%” programme, will bring Ukraine its first modern industrial-scale facility for food-grade and technical salt built entirely with integrated innovative technologies.
According to the project team, the plant is scheduled to launch in January 2026 with a planned output of 15,000 tons of salt per month. This volume will allow the enterprise to cover more than half of Ukraine’s domestic salt demand, substantially reducing reliance on imports that grew after the shutdown of the Artemsil mines in Donetsk region in 2022.
Integrated technology and product mix
The new facility is designed around a multi-stage processing chain that includes deep purification, grinding and a specialised drying method. This approach improves product quality, allows the plant to flexibly switch between food-grade and technical salt, and opens additional opportunities in industrial, communal and de-icing segments.
Engineering support from experienced specialists, including experts from Artemsil and Turkish partner SALT PLUS, helps de-risk the project from an operational standpoint and shortens the ramp-up period once commissioning starts. For buyers, this means more predictable supplies and the emergence of a new long-term supplier in southern Ukraine.
Environmental dimension: restoring the Kuyalnyk Estuary
An important part of the project is its link to the ecological restoration of the Kuyalnyk Estuary near Odesa. In recent years, salinity in the estuary has exceeded natural levels, threatening its unique therapeutic muds and tourism potential. Together with the Kuyalnyk National Nature Park, the company is preparing a system of sedimentation basins that will remove excess salt from the water.
Instead of relying on public funding, the project uses commercially valuable by-products: the precipitated salt will be collected and processed at the plant. Similar technologies are already applied in the United States, Spain and Turkey, and their adaptation in Ukraine fits into broader EU-aligned environmental standards.
Strategic importance after Artemsil’s shutdown
Before the full-scale invasion, the Artemsil enterprise in Donetsk region supplied almost all of Ukraine’s rock salt and maintained stable export flows. Its shutdown due to Russian shelling created a structural gap in the market, forcing Ukraine to import salt, including from more distant suppliers in Africa.
The launch of Chornomorskyi Solezavod will not fully replace Artemsil’s historic capacity, but it will significantly strengthen supply security. Together with other renewed and smaller producers, the Odesa plant will form the core of a more diversified and geographically safer salt industry inside government-controlled territory.
What it means for investors
For investors, the project demonstrates how relatively compact, well-engineered industrial plants can target critical import-substitution niches in Ukraine’s recovery. The combination of state support through concessional loans, clear demand visibility and export potential into neighbouring markets creates a strong business case.
In the medium term, the plant’s integration with environmental restoration of the Kuyalnyk Estuary also adds an ESG component that can be attractive for development finance institutions and impact-oriented investors. For partners looking at local joint ventures, logistics services or equipment supply, the salt plant in Odesa region is a practical example of how industrial production and regional recovery can reinforce each other.
