Solvac SA: Increase in net profits of 8.3 % compared to 2016

1. The corporate Solvac S.A. 2017 net income is up 8.3% compared to 2016 (see 3 page 2).

The cash revenue ¹, including the inflow of dividends from its participation in Solvay, came to EUR 112.1 million versus EUR 107.3 million in 2016, namely, an increase of 4.5% mainly attributable to the increase of Solvay dividend as shown in the table below:

Insofar as the company accounts so authorise, it is on the basis of cash income, after covering expenses (primarily financial charges), that the Board of Directors determines the amounts proposed for distribution by Solvac.

_______________________________

¹ Solvac uses certain non-IFRS performance indicators that are defined here:

• Cash revenue refers to income received during the period.  It is defined as the cash flow obtained by the payment of dividends received from Solvay.
• Cash income means the cash revenue reduced by the interest charges and other income and expenses (financial/operational).  It is on the basis of this indicator that the Board of Directors determines the amounts proposed for distribution by Solvac.  See detail of calculation in note 14, page 15 of current press release.

² In accordance with accounting principles, the dividend on the 6.932.858 shares acquired in December 2015 and January 2016 was recorded as a deduction of the purchase price and not as financial revenue, due to the fact that it was implicitly included in the acquisition value.  This represents an amount of EUR 9.4 million that is not included in financial income, but in the 2016 cash revenue.

2. The Board of Directors has prepared the Solvac consolidated financial statements at December 31, 2017. These accounts have been submitted to the Statutory Auditor. They are presented according to IFRS standards.

Consolidated income statement

¹ The net income per share and the net diluted income per share are identical.  The average weighted number of shares used for the calculation per share was 21,375,033 in 2016 and in 2017.

 Solvac recorded for the year ended December 31, 2017 net consolidated income of EUR 328.4 million (namely, EUR 15.4 per share) versus EUR 190.0 million (namely, EUR 8.9 per share) in 2016, as a result of the change in income from applying the equity method to Solvay.

3. The Board of Directors reports the figures of the corporate accounts relating to Solvac SA in 2017 :

The 2017 profit after tax is EUR 108.7 million (versus 100.4 million in 2016) attributable to the increase in dividends per share paid or decided by Solvay.

4. Two interim dividend payments were made, respectively on August 25, 2017 and on December 28, 2017, the second representing in principle the balance due, which the General Shareholders Meeting will be asked to approve. In total, each share received in 2017 a gross compensation 4.6 % greater than in 2016 :

5. The Board of Directors of Solvay decided on February 27, 2018 to pay on May 23, 2018 the balance due on the dividend for the financial year 2017, which comes to EUR 2.22 gross per share.

Taking into account the interim dividend of EUR 1.38 paid in January 2018, the gross dividend of Solvay reaches EUR 3.60 for the fiscal year 2017, up to 4.3 % compared to the dividend of EUR 3.45 gross per share in fiscal year 2016.

1. Report of the statutory auditor

Deloitte confirmed that its audit work on the consolidated financial statements of Solvac SA, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union and with the legal and regulatory requirements applicable in Belgium, are substantially completed. Deloitte confirms that the financial information contained in this press release requires no comment on its part and is consistent with the consolidated financial statements of Solvac SA. The full audit report of the consolidated financial statements and the full report of the Commissioner on the audit of the annual financial information included in the annual report 2017 will be published on the website (www.solvac.be) on April 6, 2018.

2. Content

This press release contains regulated information and is drafted in compliance with the applicable IFRS standards. The risk management analysis is included in the notes to the consolidated financial statements as well as in the annual report, which will be available on April 6,2018 on the website (www.solvac.be).

3. Solvac shares

4. Statement by the responsible persons

M. JP. Delwart, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and M. B. de Laguiche, Managing Director of Solvac, confirm that to the best of their knowledge:

a) the financial information, prepared in conformity with applicable accounting standards, reflect a true and fair view of the net worth, the financial situation and the results of the Solvac Group (consolidated) and of Solvac S.A.(statutory) ;

b) the report contains a faithful presentation of the significant events occurred in the 2017 financial year, and their impact on the financial information.

c) there are no transactions with related parties.

Key dates for financial communications

· April 6, 2018: Publication of the 2017 annual report on www.solvac.be

· May 8, 2018: Ordinary General Meeting of the Shareholders (2:30 pm)

· July 31, 2018: Result from the first half of 2018 and announcement of the first interim dividend for financial year 2018

· August 24, 2018: Payment of the first interim dividend for financial year 2018

· December 13, 2018: Announcement of the second interim dividend for financial year 2018

· December 28, 2018: Payment of the second interim dividend for financial year 2018

For more information, please contact:

SOLVAC S.A.

Investor Relations

Champs Elyséesstreet, 43 - B - 1050 Brussels

Tel.: 32/2/639 66 30

Fax: 32/2/639 66 31

Email: Investor.relations@solvac.be

Dit persbericht is ook in het Nederlands beschikbaar - Ce communiqué de presse est également disponible en français