Wacker Chemie (Munich, Germany; www.wacker.com) says it plans to further expand its silicone products business with the construction of a production site in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, which is expected to start operations at the end of 2025.

The site is to focus on room-temperature-curing speciality silicones. Production of high-temperature-curing silicone compounds has also been planned for later, according to the company, which said the plant will eventually have a capacity of over 20,000 t/y.

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As a first step, the group plans to create up to 200 jobs, with investment volume cited in the low hundreds of millions of euros. The company said demand from the electromobility and renewable energy sectors is driving the expansion.

The  facility is to complement existing German Wacker Verbund sites in Burghausen and Nünchritz, as well as the Czech site in Pilsen, which specialises in electromobility applications.