Orion Announces Plans to Build Only Acetylene-based Conductive Additives Plant in U.S.
05 Mai 2022 - 10:35PM
Business Wire
Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE: OEC), a specialty chemical
company, today announced plans to build the only plant in the U.S.
producing acetylene-based conductive additives – a critical link in
the value chain for lithium-ion batteries, high-voltage cables and
other products powering the global transition to electrification
and renewable energy.
Orion’s planned facility in La Porte, Texas, south of Houston,
will be backed by a long-term agreement for acetylene supplied from
a neighboring site owned by Equistar Chemicals LP, a subsidiary of
LyondellBasell.
Acetylene is a colorless gas widely used as a chemical building
block. Orion’s production process turns acetylene into a powder,
which is added to lithium-ion batteries, enhancing electrical
conductivity and extending the lifetime of the most valuable
component of an electric vehicle. The material plays a similar role
in high-voltage cables used for wind and solar farms.
Orion will invest between $120 million to $140 million in the
facility, expected to start up in the second half of 2024. This
investment should increase the company’s conductive additives
capacity by approximately 12 kilotons per year.
“With this investment, we will quadruple our effective
manufacturing capacity of acetylene-based conductive additives,”
said Corning Painter, Orion’s CEO. “We are already experiencing
high demand for this material, so expanding capacity for it is one
of our top investment priorities and a major milestone in our
growth plans. This is a very big day for Orion.”
The company, which has a similar plant in France with locally
supplied acetylene gas from LyondellBasell, is the sole producer of
acetylene-based conductive additives in the European Union. The
U.S. plant will bring new technology and high-skilled jobs to the
country and positively impact long-term job creation for the local
community. Demand for battery additives is expected to grow rapidly
amid a global boom in the construction of gigafactories making
lithium-ion batteries.
The plant will have a favorable environmental profile and will
be subject to obtaining the routine regulatory approvals.
“Batteries will continue to play an increasingly vital role in
the world’s shift toward clean energy,” Painter said. “By being a
key supplier of materials to the battery industry, we’re living up
to our mission of delivering solutions for a more sustainable
future.”
Orion will hold its first quarter earnings conference call
tomorrow, Friday, May 6, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT) where additional
details of this announcement will be provided. The dial-in details
for the live conference call are as follows:
U.S. Toll Free:
1-877-407-4018
International:
1-201-689-8471
A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the
following numbers through May 12, 2022:
U.S. Toll Free:
1-844-512-2921
International:
1-412-317-6671
Conference ID:
13727988
About Orion Engineered Carbons
Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global
supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder
or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting
specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and
numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon
black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct
electricity, increase durability, and add UV protection. Orion has
innovation centers on three continents and 14 plants worldwide,
offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the
industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160
years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running
carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep
understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions.
For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements are statements of future
expectations that are based on current expectations and assumptions
and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially
from those expressed or implied in these statements. You should not
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Each
forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the
particular statement. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge
from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risk
factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the extent to which
any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise
any forward-looking statement as a result of new information,
future events or other information, other than as required by
applicable law.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220505006096/en/
Wendy Wilson Head of Investor Relations Orion Engineered Carbons
Direct: +1 281-974-0155 wendy.wilson@orioncarbons.com
William Foreman Director of Corporate Communications and
Government Affairs Orion Engineered Carbons Direct: +1 832-445-3305
Mobile: +1 281-889-7833 william.foreman@orioncarbons.com
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