(29/11/2007) SOLVAY SIGNS AGREEMENT TO SELL POLYPROPELENE COMPOUNDING ACTIVITY TO BASELL

Embargo: November 29, 2007 at 3:30 PM (Brussels Time) Focusing on activities where the Group has better opportunities to create business value Solvay announces today that it has signed a Stock Purchase Agreement with Basell to sell the latter 100% of its subsidiary Solvay Engineered Polymers (SEP), a leading supplier of polypropylene compounds. Pending relevant regulatory approval, the transaction is expected to be completed early in 2008. SEP, which is essentially active in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) region, has operations in Mansfield and Grand Prairie, Texas, as well as in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The company is also represented in Europe and China through sales offices. The annual sales of SEP account for less than 2% of the turnover of the Solvay group. Solvay is committed to the development and manufacturing of specialty polymers, in a drive to offer the world's broadest range of high performance and ultra-high performance materials. However, the strategic fit of SEP's polypropylene compounding activities has become limited within Solvay's Plastics Sector because, among other reasons, the Group completed the divestiture of its polypropylene resin production in 2001. "Over the past years, SEP has made great progress in expanding its product and application range," commented Vincenzo Morici, General Manager of the Specialty Polymers Strategic Business Unit, Solvay. "Joining Basell is now the right way forward for SEP, as it will provide the company with upstream integration into key raw materials, and access to complementary technologies and market segments. We strongly believe that Basell will reinforce the technological capabilities of SEP in the polypropylene compounding business," Morici added. "The acquisition of Solvay Engineered Polymers will complement Basell's existing Polymer-based Composite Materials and Alloys (PCMA) business in North America and by combining these businesses, we will be better positioned to serve our customers in this region with products that meet their needs," said Paul Yeates, President of Basell Advanced Polyolefins. "In addition, there will be an excellent opportunity to learn from one another and combine each other's application and product-development strengths." BASELL is the world's largest producer of advanced polyolefins and polypropylene; a leading supplier of polyethylene and catalysts, and one of the industry leaders in licensing polypropylene and polyethylene processes, including providing technical services for its proprietary technologies. Basell, together with its joint ventures, has manufacturing facilities in 19 countries and sells products in more than 120 countries. Basell had sales of approximately $13 billion in 2006. Basell is privately owned by Access Industries. (www.basell.com) SOLVAY is an international chemical and pharmaceutical Group with headquarters in Brussels. It employs some 29,000 people in 50 countries. In 2006, its consolidated sales amounted to EUR 9.4 billion, generated by its three sectors of activity: Chemicals, Plastics and Pharmaceuticals. Solvay (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE - Bloomberg: SOLB.BB - Reuters: SOLBt.BR) is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels. Details are available at www.solvay.com For further information please contact : MARTIAL TARDY Corporate Press Officer SOLVAY S.A. Phone: 32 2 509 72 30 E-mail : martial.tardy@solvay.com Internet: www.solvaypress.com PATRICK VERELST Investor Relations SOLVAY S.A. Phone. 32 2 509 72 43 E-mail : patrick.verelst@solvay.com Internet: www.solvay-investors.com Ce communiqué de presse est également disponible en français - Dit persbericht is ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar Copyright Hugin The appendixes relating to the press release are available on: http://www.companynewsgroup.com/documents/PJ/CO/2007/129085_88_Z18G_20071129SEPBASELL-EN.pdf [CN#129085]