Arkema to invest $110 million in its US acrylics businesses
Arkema has an investment plan for its acrylics sites in Clear Lake and Bayport, Texas. This plan will target acrylic acid and its esters, and will focus on growth opportunities seen for applications in water treatment, super absorbent polymers and enhanced oil and gas recovery. This investments program, for a total amount of $110 million over three years, reinforces Arkema's commitment to the acrylics chain.
The first project will focus on moving the Clear Lake site toward a best-in-class facility by improving the reliability and competitiveness of its acrylic acid assets. The project is expected to startup in early 2013. The net effect of this project will bring the site to a new rated nameplate capacity of 270 KT.
The second project for Clear Lake will be the construction of a 45 KT unit for the production of methyl acrylate, which will support growth opportunities in water treatment, elastomers and technical polymers. This unit is planned for startup in Q2 2013.
The investment program announced today also includes the conversion of the butyl acrylate plant in Bayport, Texas, to a 40 KT 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate (2EHA) plant. This third project is planned to come onstream in early 2012. At this date, all butyl acrylate production will be relocated to the Clear Lake facility.
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