Elkem starts up China silicones expansion project

Beijing - Elkem Silicone has started up a major expansion project at its production facility in Xinghuo, China, according to parent company ChemChina.

The commissioning “in one go” adds production capacity for 200 kilotonnes per annum (ktpa) of silicone monomers and 120ktpa of downstream silicone products at the site.

In total, the project increases overall production capacity for silicone monomers to 700ktpa and downstream products to 300ktpa, added ChemChina 21 May.

The expansion project has now produced “qualified products”, marking the official completion and commissioning of the project, according to the announcement.

As reported by ERJ, Elkem launched the €380-million project in April 2021, to strengthen its position in “the fastest growing silicones market” and support its “specialisation” strategy.

At the time, Elkem said the project would improve the Xinghuo site’s overall cost position and environmental profile “significantly”.

The “state-of-the-art” unit will manufacture silicones for “high quality upstream products” and enable Elkem to raise speciality volumes by increasing access to "high purity products and critical by-products."

On the environmental front, Elkem said new technologies employed at the site will reduce energy consumption by 57%, use of raw materials by 11% and solid waste by 30%.