(AOF) – Solvay is joining forces with Mexican petrochemical giant Orbia to build the largest PVDF (thermoplastic fluoropolymer) production site in North America in the United States. It is a crucial component used as a binder and coating in automotive lithium-ion batteries. The total investment, valued at $850 million, is expected to be funded in part by a $178 million grant from the US Department of Energy to Solvay to build a facility in Augusta, Georgia.
Solvay and Orbia intend to use two production sites, one for raw materials and the other for the finished product, located in the southeastern United States. Both plants are expected to be fully operational by 2026.
The start of the joint venture is subject to the finalization and execution of definitive agreements and the receipt of regulatory approvals.
Ilham Kadri, CEO of Solvay justified himself on this new partnership specifying that “this decision taken follows the investment of the group announced in Tavaux, in France. These investments extend its ambition to increase global sales in the automotive market from 800 million euros in 2021 to more than 3 billion euros by 2030.”
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