Orion, the US-based speciality chemicals company, has broken ground on a plant in Texas that will be the only facility in the US producing acetylene-based conductive additives for lithium-ion batteries and other applications vital for the global shift to electrification.
The battery additives at the La Porte site, southeast of Houston, will be super clean, with only one-tenth of the carbon footprint of other commonly used materials, the company said in a press note.
“Orion is already the sole producer of acetylene-based conductive additives in Europe. 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,” Orion’s CEO Mr. Corning Painter said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Every battery requires conductive additives. They enable a more efficient flow of electricity and extend the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries. 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 gas that Orion’s production process turns into powder with exceptional purity demanded by leading battery manufacturers. The acetylene will be supplied by a neighbouring site owned by Equistar Chemicals LP, a subsidiary of LyondellBasell.
Orion’s plant in La Porte is similar to one the company has in the city of Berre-l’Étang in southern France. The facility also uses acetylene from LyondellBasell.
With the LaPorte 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.