Engineering Orion Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Battery Materials Plant in USA

Related Vendors

Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH

Maag Pump Systems AG

TRM Filter d.o.o.

Orion Engineered Carbons GmbH

Orion’s battery materials plant in Texas will be the only facility in the U.S. to produce acetylene-based conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries and other applications which is vital for the global shift to electrification.

Houston/USA – Orion, a global specialty chemicals company, recently broke ground on a plant in Texas that will be the only facility in the U.S. producing acetylene-based conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries and other applications vital for the global shift to electrification.

The site in the city of La Porte, southeast of Houston, will create many high-skilled jobs – both in construction and technical fields – and bring innovative technology to the American economy. The battery additives produced by Orion’s plant will be super clean, with only one-tenth of the carbon footprint of other commonly used materials.

“Orion is already the sole producer of acetylene-based conductive additives in Europe,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said at the groundbreaking ceremony. “Our plant in La Porte will be a pivotal step toward strengthening the regional supply of conductive additives in the rapidly growing U.S. battery market.”

Every battery requires conductive additives. They enable a more efficient flow of electricity and extend the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries – the most valuable components of electric vehicles. The material also plays an essential role in high-voltage cables used for wind and solar farms.

The additives produced at the La Porte plant will be made from acetylene, a colorless gas that Orion’s production process turns into powder with exceptional purity demanded by leading battery manufacturers. The acetylene will be supplied by a neighboring site owned by Equistar Chemicals, a subsidiary of Lyondell Basell.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Kim Foley, Lyondell Basell executive vice president of Global Olefins and Polyolefins, Refining and Supply Chain, said, “At Lyondell Basell, we see electrification as a crucial part of our plan to reduce carbon emissions across our industries. By supporting the production of key battery components, we're contributing to solutions for a better tomorrow.”

With the La Porte project, key equipment procurement and off-site fabrication are already at an advanced stage. Field construction activities are ramping up, with the facility start-up expected in the second quarter of 2025.

(ID:49998669)