Construction on Arkema’s new flagship Rilsan polyamide 11 plant on Jurong Island, Singapore is progressing according to schedule, the company has reported.
The project, announced in 2017, is well underway to becoming the biggest integrated bio-factory in the world dedicated to the production of high-performance polymers.
Rilsan is the 100% bio-based PA 11 derived from castor beans, which Arkema has been producing for now for over seven decades.
The new facility represents a 50% increase in Arkema’s global polyamide 11 production capacity.
The project involves a total investment in the region, approximately €450 million, including downstream polymer capacities in China. Arkema successfully placed its first-ever green bond in October 2020, for a total amount of €300 million, to finance the initiative.
Following the completion of the first phase of in-depth studies and administrative procedures, work on the infrastructure and construction at the site of the industrial complex at Jurong commenced. After overcoming the difficulties linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project is advancing well and the Group confirms its ambition to start up production in the first half of 2022.