Arkema Invests €50 Million to Boost Organic Peroxide Production for Renewable Energy Initiatives in China

Arkema Invests €50 Million to Boost Organic Peroxide Production for Renewable Energy Initiatives in China

(IN BRIEF) Arkema, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has announced a substantial €50 million investment to expand its organic peroxide production capacities at its Changshu site in China. This strategic move, which is part of the company’s global expansion efforts, aims to support the rapidly growing Asian markets, particularly in renewable energy sectors like photovoltaic panels. Arkema’s Luperox® brand organic peroxides play a crucial role as reaction initiators in polymer manufacturing and are essential components in the production of renewable energy technologies. This expansion follows a series of similar initiatives by Arkema, including a 70% capacity increase in India and the doubling of capacity at a plant in Germany, all aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of organic peroxides production. The Changshu plant expansion is set to begin industrial operations in early 2025, reinforcing Arkema’s position in sustainable additives for niche markets.

(PRESS RELEASE) COLOMBES, 28-Sep-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Luperox® brand organic peroxides are used as niche additives fulfilling a critical mission as reaction initiators for a wide range of polymers and in particular play an important role in the energy transition as vital components in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels.

With this significant investment in Changshu (China), Arkema will support the strong expansion of Asian producers serving a fast-growing global market.

This expansion of the Group’s organic peroxide activities in China complements the 70% increase in its organic peroxide capacity in India announced in 2022, as well as the doubling of capacity at the Luperox® 101 plant in Günzburg (Germany) which started up this summer. These projects had notably enabled the industrial validation of several new and more efficient technologies, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the organic peroxides business. The effective industrial start-up of the new Changshu plant expansion, for which the foundation stone was laid in September, is expected in early 2025.

“With this investment in China, we are strengthening our position as a major producer of niche additives for sustainable development, with an industrial expansion that will incorporate our most efficient technologies in terms of environmental footprint” LAURENT TELLIER, SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT PERFORMANCE ADDITIVES

Media Contacts:

Gilles Galinier
VP Communication
+33 (0)1 49 00 70 07

Anne Plaisance
Corporate Press Relations Manager
+33 (0)6 81 87 48 77

SOURCE: Arkema