The Chemours Co. has announced the startup of a new production facility for the new Opteon YF (HFO-1234yf) low global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant at its Corpus Christi manufacturing plant in Ingleside, Texas. This 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, according to The Chemours Co. It comes at a critical time when the world is transitioning to the next generation of refrigerants to achieve long-term sustainability, the company added. Chemours’ Opteon YF refrigerant used in automotive air conditioning has a GWP that is 99.9 percent 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 company said.
The expanded capacity at the Texas plan also will 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.
