Ascend Invests $175M to Expand ADN Plant in U.S.

Chemicals, plastics, and fibers maker Ascend Performance Materials is moving forward on a $175 million expansion project at its Decatur, AL adiponitrile (ADN) plant after state officials approved several incentives, a recent company press release announced.  

The facility is one of four large-scale ADN plants across the globe. With the expansion, Ascend said it will boost ADN capacity at the site, create jobs, and increase the environmental performance of the facility. 

“The Decatur community is at the heart of our business,” Phil McDivitt, the president and chief executive officer of Ascend, said in a statement. “The ADN produced there is a critical building block for nylon 6,6, a high-performance plastic used in a variety of products from live-saving vehicle airbags to high-voltage electrical connectors.”

During the project, 10 manufacturing jobs will be added to the site and the facility’s emissions will decline by some 60%, according to the company. 

Ascend named MasTec Inc. subsidiary MasTec Power Corp. as its prime contractor for the expansion in Decatur. Work on the site is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year.

Koch Industries-owned Koch Industries-owned nylon, polyester, and specialty materials maker INVISTA announced plans to build a $1 billion ADN plant in China in 2018. When production begins in 2023, the facility will have a minimum capacity of 300,000 tn of the chemical. 

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