Syensqo is creating the largest North American production facility for electric vehicle battery materials
Augusta, Ga, is a key location within the rapidly growing battery investment in the region, known as America’s Battery Belt.
Syensqo is building a facility there for the production of PVDF - a thermoplastic fluoropolymer - to meet the growing needs of U.S. domestic energy storage markets. The new operations will provide material for more than 5 million EV batteries per year at full capacity.
With more than half of U.S. car sales projected to be electric by 2030, this project, which benefits from a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and a Joint Venture with Orbia, will strengthen the competitive and economic position for EV battery production in the U.S., since all major feedstocks will come from North America.
Joint Venture with Orbia
Syensqo and Orbia signed a joint venture agreement for this project. The partnership secures the supply by Orbia of needed materials for Syensqo to manufacture battery-grade PVDF. Syensqo will bring its process technology and global market know-how to this venture.
Syensqo and Orbia intend to use two production sites in the southeastern U.S.:
- Syensqo’s facility will be located at its existing Solvay Specialty Polymers USA LLC plant in Augusta, Ga. This location will convert intermediates into the final PVDF product.
- Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions Business Koura’s plant will be in St. Gabriel, La. This site will synthesize intermediates from raw materials.
$178 Million Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains awarded Syensqo a $178 million grant to help build the facility at its site in Augusta, Ga.
The grant was awarded to Syensqo as part of the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles and the electrical grid - as the project will fill a significant supply gap, building upon favorable regulatory conditions that promote regional production and material security.
About PVDF
Syensqo’s Solef® PVDF produced in Augusta is a suspension-grade polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), which serves as a lithium-ion binder and separator coating in electric vehicle batteries.
It enables electric vehicles to go farther on each charge, extends battery life and improves battery safety.
Creating Jobs
Our commitment to the Augusta region extends beyond production. This project will create clean energy job opportunities for the local community and establish hundreds of jobs throughout the value chain.
At Syensqo, our new facility is expected to create more than 500 local construction jobs and 100 highly-skilled local manufacturing jobs, including for economically disadvantaged and underrepresented communities. We will be hiring mechanics, technicians, engineers, and more.
Additionally, we are supporting higher education institutions in the State of Georgia, including Augusta Tech, to expand access to educational resources for historically underserved groups, so as to champion projects that nurture the workforce of tomorrow.
“We are proud of this important project, which is a key milestone in our electrification strategy, emphasizing our global commitment to sustainable mobility. The support of the DOE demonstrates Syensqo’s pivotal role in advancing technologies that meet market demand, and improve energy storage and the safety and power of electric vehicles. Further, our partnership with Orbia puts us in the driving seat to shore up an independent, sustainable EV battery supply chain in North America.”
“Syensqo thanks the DOE for its support in creating a robust and resilient battery supply chain in the U.S. that brings important clean energy jobs. With demand for EVs growing rapidly, this project is a major step forward in building a modern energy economy.”