UBE Corporation announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) plants in Louisiana, U.S., on February 13. The ceremony was attended by approximately 180 people, including many government officials, local communities, and builders. UBE Corporation President and Representative Director Masato Izumihara, Representative Director and Senior Executive Officer Yuki Nishida, and relevant persons in charge of UBE C1 Chemicals America, which will produce DMC and EMC in the United States, attended the ceremony.

Masato Izumihara, President and Representative Director of UBE Co., Ltd., said, "The investment in this plant is the largest investment in a manufacturing plant in the history of UBE Co., Ltd. As the only DMC and EMC manufacturer in the United States, the company will achieve high productivity while realizing various synergies with the newly acquired high-performance polyurethane system business. Based on UBE Co., Ltd.'s corporate philosophy of 'Coexistence and Co-prosperity', we will contribute to the local community."

DMC and EMC are key components of lithium battery electrolyte solvents, and demand is expected to increase for pure electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and energy storage systems. DMC is also used as a developer material in the semiconductor manufacturing process. The new plant will produce DMC using UBE Co., Ltd.'s proprietary vapor-phase nitrite process, which has low energy consumption, high quality, and fewer byproducts and impurities than the vinyl process. The plant will produce 100,000 tons of DMC and 40,000 tons of EMC derived from DMC per year. The plant is scheduled to be completed in July 2026 and will begin operations in November of the same year.

To achieve its 2030 Vision, which is to "become a corporate group with specialty chemicals at its core that contributes to the global environment, human health and future society," Ube Corporation will leverage its unique strengths to expand specialty businesses that have low energy burdens, are resistant to market fluctuations, and have high profits, while working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.