Wacker plans expansion of its Charleston site
Wacker is preparing to build a new silicone production complex at its Charleston site in the US state of Tennessee. The Munich-based chemical group has already started a feasibility study.
In a first step, it is planned to build production plants for high-consistency silicone rubber and silicone sealants, used, for example, in construction applications. In addition, plants are to be built for the manufacture of intermediates.
Production plants for other product groups
In further phases, production plants for other product groups could then be added, e.g. for silane-terminated polymers used as binders for formulating high-quality adhesives and sealants, liquid waterproofing systems and environmentally friendly wood-flooring adhesives.
The capital expenditures earmarked for the entire expansion project, which is scheduled to take several years, are estimated to be more than EUR 198 million, thereby creating more than 200 new jobs at the Charleston site. Wacker has been producing high-purity polysilicon for the semiconductor and solar industries in Charleston since 2015. Since 2019, the site has also been producing pyrogenic silica.
