As the culminating stop on visits to Louisiana manufacturing sites investing in clean energy development, U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm visited the Orbia Advance Corporation, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ORBIA*) Fluorinated Solutions (Koura) fluorochemical production site in St. Gabriel, Louisiana on Friday, November 17. Granholm addressed a crowd of Orbia leaders and employees gathered at the St. Gabriel site to celebrate the business’ upcoming investment in North America’s first lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6) production facility.
Granholm commended Orbia for being a ‘model for the nation’ in securing the North American supply chain for crucial electric vehicle (EV) battery materials, as reported by The Advocate. She was joined by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, who underscored Orbia’s projects as accelerators for the state’s ambitious climate action agenda and nationwide EV production.
Orbia was a 2022 recipient of a $100 million DoE grant to partially fund the construction of North America’s first site for LiPF6 manufacturing, an electrolyte salt used in lithium-ion batteries. The new LiPF6 site will be constructed on the grounds of Orbia’s existing facility in St. Gabriel, leveraging a licensing agreement with LiPF6 technology leader Kanto Denka Kogyo. In addition, Orbia recently announced a joint venture with Solvay and plans to build a second site in St. Gabriel to manufacture intermediates used in the production of lithium-ion battery binding agent polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).
Orbia Chief Executive Officer Sameer Bharadwaj commented, “We are in the right position at the right time to be a key enabler in North America’s energy transition. The economic opportunity in electrification is massive and the need is there to cut emissions drastically for the future. This facility will provide Inflation Reduction Act-certified LiPF6 to support the Biden-Harris administration’s vision of securing North America’s battery materials supply chain.”
Gregg Smith, President of Orbia Fluorinated Solutions, added, “With our vertically-integrated ‘mine to market’ position at Orbia, we are able to bring security of supply to our work with industry partners to convert fluorine into a wide range of advanced battery materials. These include electrolyte salts, binders and high-performance electrolyte additives for the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. In partnership with the St. Gabriel community, we are proud to be recognized for driving decarbonization.”
“St. Gabriel has been an incredible community for us to grow in with its skilled workforce, proximity to major auto and OEM manufacturers, local support and strong U.S. incentives for building capacity as well as infrastructure for the clean energy transition. We intend to bring a combined 200 new jobs to the area through our battery materials projects in St. Gabriel, and invest in the local community that has given us so much through scholarships and training,” said Miki Oljaca, Vice President of Growth and Technology, Orbia Fluorinated Solutions.
Orbia’s LiPF6 production plant is expected to be operational by 2026, with production targets of 10,000 metric tons annually of battery-grade electrolyte salts. Orbia’s facilities will help the U.S. produce more than 1 million electric vehicles annually.
About Orbia
Orbia Advance Corporation, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: ORBIA*) is a company driven by a shared purpose: to advance life around the world. Orbia operates in the Polymer Solutions (Vestolit and Alphagary), Building and Infrastructure (Wavin), Precision Agriculture (Netafim), Connectivity Solutions (Dura-Line) and Fluorinated Solutions (Koura) sectors. The five Orbia business groups have a collective focus on expanding access to health and well-being, reinventing the future of cities and homes, ensuring food, water and sanitation security, connecting communities to information and enabling the energy transition with basic and advanced materials, specialty products and innovative solutions. Orbia has a global team of over 24,000 employees, commercial activities in more than 100 countries and operations in over 50, with global headquarters in Boston, Mexico City, Amsterdam and Tel Aviv. The company generated $9.6 billion in revenue and $1.95 billion of EBITDA in 2022. To learn more, visit: orbia.com.
About Orbia Fluorinated Solutions
Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions business, Koura, is a global leader in the development, manufacture and supply of fluoroproducts that play a fundamental role in enhancing everyday lives and shortening the path to a sustainable, circular economy. Backed by over 35 years of experience, Orbia Fluorinated Solutions products are used in a vast range of applications including electric vehicles and energy storage, urban and rural infrastructure, indoor climate management, food and medicine refrigeration and even in treating respiratory conditions through the development of healthy and innovative low-GWP propellants for metered-dose inhalers. Orbia Fluorinated Solutions has 1,600 employees and 13 manufacturing facilities worldwide, serving 60 countries through a global sales and distribution network.
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