Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions brand Koura Global, announced that it has signed a three-party Letter of Intent with Foosung Co. Ltd. and the Mayor of Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Poland to develop a new production plant in the region to meet the growing demand in Europe for inorganic fluorine compounds used in the production of lithium-ion batteries.
The agreement follows the Katowice Special Economic Zone’s decision to support construction of a battery materials production and service plant on a 49-acre plot of land acquired by Foosung Poland from the Commune in July 2019.
In addition to meeting renewable energy market needs, the construction and continued operations of the plant will drive economic development in the region. The first phase of construction will entail creating 80 local jobs with a ramp up to 150 local jobs for continued operations. Additionally, Koura and Foosung will provide chemistry education in schools and other educational institutions in the Commune and the Kędzierzyn-Koźle Powiat (county) through this partnership.
At a signing ceremony held in Katowice Poland, Gregg Smith, President of Orbia Fluorinated Solutions, said, “We are really pleased to have signed this agreement today and look forward to an incredible partnership. Battery materials are an important space for growth and key to supporting Orbia’s decarbonization efforts. We are excited to participate with Foosung as part of our energy materials strategy to bring key enabling fluorine materials to the end market.”
Said Sameer Bharadwaj, Chief Executive Officer of Orbia, “Decarbonization is an area of focus for Orbia, and growth opportunities like this partnership with Foosung and the mayoral leaders in Kędzierzyn-Koźle are key to our success. We are working in the climate solutions space to create value for people and planet. Our ownership of raw material assets and our team’s expertise in fluorine technologies puts us in the driver’s seat for the future of energy storage: an area of accelerated need and global demand.”
Ben Gook Hur, Chief Executive Officer of Foosung, said, “Foosung is deploying advanced technology for fluorine materials and will leverage Orbia’s strength in upstream fluorine intermediates to ensure a robust supply chain for European lithium-ion battery production.”
Construction of the production plant on the Southern Field (Polish: Pole Południowe) will commence in the second quarter of 2022, with the personnel recruitment process set to begin in 2023.