Feb. 12, 2019 — The Chemours Company today announced the startup of the new Opteon™ YF (HFO-1234yf) low global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant production facility at its Corpus Christi manufacturing plant in Ingleside, Texas.
Sources reported the facility will enable Chemours to triple the global capacity of its hydrofluoroolefin (HFO) 1234yf-based products to meet increasing market demands for more environmentally sustainable refrigerants and blends.
“The startup completes the final phase of the $300 million project we started in 2016, which triples supply capacity of Opteon™ YF across multiple industries and applications,” said Mark Vergnano, Chemours president and CEO. “This milestone is a tangible example of our steadfast commitment to providing the world with low GWP refrigerant products that are better for the environment.”
The Opteon™ YF (HFO-1234yf) refrigerant production facility is the largest such facility in the world. It comes at a critical time when the world is transitioning to the next generation of refrigerants to achieve long-term sustainability. Our Opteon™ YF refrigerant used in automotive air conditioning has a GWP that is 99.9% lower than the refrigerant it replaces. This helps lower the greenhouse gas footprint for motor vehicles and is a significant path to meeting environmental global-warming regulations around the world.
The expanded capacity will also enable Chemours to meet the growing need for next-generation refrigerants in stationary air conditioning, refrigeration, and chillers. According to Paul Kirsch, president of Chemours Fluoroproducts: “Our U.S. facility reinforces our commitment to meet the needs of our mobile and stationary refrigerant customers through unmatched capacity, capability, and quality. This also means our production facilities will be closer to our customers in North America and Europe, as well as around the world.”
This investment to build world-scale manufacturing capability has resulted in hundreds of U.S. jobs ranging from R&D, manufacturing, construction support, and associated businesses that supply our new manufacturing plant.
The Corpus Christi site uses an innovative, patented process to manufacture Opteon™ YF for automotive air conditioning and refrigerant blends that are used across a range of applications. Sources say ongoing innovation by Chemours has consistently positioned its fluorochemicals business as a leader in refrigerant solutions for nearly 90 years.