UBE breaks ground on $500M battery material plant in Louisiana
The plant will produce 100,000 tons of DMC per year and 40,000 tons of EMC derived from DMC annually. The facility is scheduled for completion in July 2026, and begin operations in November 2026.
Japan’s UBE Corporation held a groundbreaking ceremony for a USD 491 million dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) plant in Louisiana.
The plant is expected to produce 100,000 tons of DMC per year and 40,000 tons of EMC derived from DMC annually. The facility is scheduled for completion in July 2026, and begin operations in November 2026, according to a media release.
DMC and EMC are important components of the electrolyte solvent for lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and EVs. DMC is also used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.
“The investment in this plant is the largest in the manufacturing facility in UBE’s corporate history,” said Masato Izumihara, President and Representative Director of UBE Corporation. “As the sole DMC and EMC manufacturer in the United States, the company will achieve high productivity and supply products with very little waste and emission while also realizing various synergy effects with its newly acquired high-performance urethane systems business.”
The new plant will produce DMC using UBE’s proprietary gas-phase nitrite process, which features lower energy consumption, higher quality, and fewer by-products and impurities compared to ethylene-based process, the company said.
“All these battery manufacturing facilities in the US ... they’ll be able to source all this stuff domestically, which means a shorter supply chain, a more cost-effective supply chain and better integration in the US,” Tom Yura, chief operating officer and site director of UBE’s American subsidiary, was quoted as saying by The Times-Picayune.
The USD 500 million project at Cornerstone Energy Park in Waggaman (Louisiana), which got the go ahead from the Jefferson Parish Council in November 2024, will create more than 400 temporary construction jobs. When the plant comes online in November 2026, it is expected to support 50-60 full-time, skilled positions.
“This project strengthens our position as a destination for high-impact foreign direct investment and innovation,” said Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO) President and CEO Jerry Bologna. “UBE’s investment and capabilities align with JEDCO’s efforts to generate quality jobs and opportunities in clean and emerging energy sectors. UBE’s investment in our community signals that Jefferson Parish can be a key player in this global industry.”