India's Asian Paints 150,000 t/y VAE Plant Officially Commissioned

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 17, India's Asian Paints announced that its vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer emulsion (VAE) production facility located in Dahej, Gujarat, has officially entered commercial production, with a designed capacity of 150,000 t/y. The VAE produced by the new plant will primarily supply Asian Paints' own coatings manufacturing bases.

The facility is part of Asian Paints' VAM-VAE integrated project. The company approved the construction of vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) and VAE manufacturing facilities in October 2022, with a planned investment of approximately Rs 21 billion, including a designed VAM capacity of 100,000 t/y and a designed VAE capacity of 150,000 t/y. The project also includes supporting ethylene storage and handling facilities.

According to Asian Paints' 2025-2026 fiscal year annual report, the Dahej project was designed as an integrated VAM and VAE production system, and the company has completed process design, automated control, and safety system verification for high-pressure ethylene handling. The VAE plant has now taken the lead in entering commercial operation, while the VAM production facility and ethylene storage and transportation facilities are still under construction.

Asian Paints' existing coatings production system has significant demand for emulsion-based raw materials. VAE is mainly used in water-based coatings, adhesives, and related formulation production. The company will first use the new plant's products for its internal production system. Once the VAM plant is completed, it will further form a continuous production chain from VAM raw materials to VAE emulsions.

The company previously disclosed that the capital expenditure for the VAM-VAE project will continue through the 2026-2027 fiscal year. With the 150,000 t/y VAE plant taking the lead in commissioning, the subsequent construction focus at the Dahej site will shift to the 100,000 t/y VAM plant and supporting facilities such as ethylene storage and handling.