BioAmber has been producing bio-succinic acid in a large-scale facility in France since January 2010. The facility is one of the largest bio-based manufacturing fermenters in the world thanks to its 350,000 liter commercial-scale fermenter. BioAmber has entered into a partnership with Mitsui & Co. for a global-scale manufacturing facility in Sarnia, Ontario, and the companies intend to build two additional facilities in Thailand and either the United States or Brazil.

Pomacle, France 

BioAmber currently produces bio-succinic acid at a facility in Pomacle, France, which is owned by ARD and was built at a reported cost of €21.0 million. The facility is integrated into an existing bio-refinery that supplies the bio-succinic acid plant with glucose, carbon dioxide, steam, ammonia and process water.

Sarnia, Ontario, Canada

The planned facility in Sarnia, Ontario, the first facility to be built pursuant to BioAmber’s joint venture agreement with Mitsui & Co., will be located in a bio-industrial park owned by Lanxess. The site is co-located in a large petrochemical hub with existing infrastructure that facilitates access to utilities and certain raw materials and finished product shipment, including steam, electricity, hydrogen, water treatment and carbon dioxide. The facility will have initial capacity of approximately 17,000 metric tons of bio-succinic acid and is expected to be operational in 2013.  The total production is expected to be approximately 34,000 metric tons of bio-succinic acid and 23,000 metric tons of bio-based 1,4 BDO at full capacity.

Thailand

The planned facility in Thailand will be the second facility to be built pursuant to the joint venture agreement with Mitsui & Co. This facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 65,000 metric tons of bio-succinic acid and 50,000 metric tons of bio-BDO at full capacity. BioAmber is currently in the process of undertaking site selection for the facility, and the plant is expected to be operational in 2014.  PTT-MCC may participate in the equity of the Thailand facility.

Additional Planned Manufacturing Facilities

The third facility to be built pursuant to BioAmber’s joint venture agreement with Mitsui & Co. will either be in North America or Brazil, with a target annual capacity of 65,000 metric tons of bio-succinic acid and 50,000 metric tons of bio-BDO.

In addition to its manufacturing facilities with Mitsui & Co., BioAmber has a letter of intent in place with Tereos-Syral, a leading European feedstock producer, for two additional plants that would be located in Europe and Brazil.