Orbia, Solvay Partner to Create a Joint Venture in North America

Orbia and Solvay partner to create a joint venture for the production of suspension-grade polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), creating the biggest capacity in North America. With over half of US car sales projected to be electric by 2030, demand for lithium-ion batteries and PVDF, a thermoplastic fluoropolymer used as a lithium-ion binder and separator coating, is reviving.

This joint venture will close a significant supply gap and will build upon favourable regulatory conditions that promote material security and regional production. The total investment in the joint venture is estimated to be around 850 million dollars, and is expected to be funded by a grant awarded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) of 178 million dollars to Solvay to build a facility in Georgia.

Ilham Kadri, chief executive officer of Solvay, said that they are very happy to partner with Orbia on this opportunity to expand their battery solutions across North America, with support from the US DOE.

Sameer Bharadwaj, chief executive officer of Orbia, said that their partnership with Solvay marks an important milestone for their business and their role in enabling the energy transition in North America. Sameer Bharadwaj added that with Solvay, the unique position of Orbia integrated into both the vinyl and fluorine chains helps them bring a cost-effective battery supply chain to the United States.