Project One
Project ONE is a game-changing investment by INEOS to construct an ethane cracker in the Antwerp petrochemical hub. The multi-billion euro investment is the largest in European chemistry in more than 20 years and will set new standards by employing the best available technology.
Key facts about Project ONE:
- Project ONE aims to build an ethane cracker in the Port of Antwerp with a nameplate capacity of 1450kt of ethylene per year
- Its carbon footprint per ton of High Value Chemicals (HVC) will be less than half compared to the top 10% steam crackers in Europe
- Hydrogen, a by-product of the cracking process, is used as a zero CO2 fuel for the furnaces
- Its electricity use will come from renewable energy, through large wind energy contracts with Eneco, ENGIE and RWE, accounting for a reduction in CO2 emissions of almost 3 million tonnes
- Plant design includes the flexibility to integrate developing technologies as they become mature, such as carbon capture and storage, the use of additional hydrogen as a fuel and electrification of the cracking furnaces
- Target year for operation is 2027
Other important Antwerp net zero activities:
- INEOS also takes part in the Antwerp@C initiative, which is aiming to support industries’ efforts towards a 50% CO2 emission reduction within the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, by 2030 through the creation of a common CO2 infrastructure that collects and exports CO2 for sequestration in offshore capacities. Read more
- INEOS was the first industrial player to sign an agreement with Fluxys to participate in the feasibility study for the development of an open-access hydrogen network in the port of Antwerp. Depending on the future transition to net zero emissions and the scenario chosen, the plant has the potential to take around 100, 000 tonnes of hydrogen off the grid. Read more
Hydrogen
Like many governments around the world, we believe that hydrogen will be essential for the transition to a zero emissions economy. At INEOS O&P Europe alone, that is translating into meaningful action in sites that produce product for our customers:
- INEOS in Köln receives state funding for green hydrogen feasibility study to cut CO2 by more than 100,000 tonnes per year
- INEOS at Grangemouth announces plans to construct a low-carbon hydrogen manufacturing plant
- INEOS launches clean hydrogen project in Rafnes, Norway
Examples: INEOS group action
- Launched a new global clean hydrogen business that will make hydrogen from water by electrolysis using zero carbon electricity. This builds on our existing strengths
- INEOS is Europe’s largest developer and operator of electrolysis technology. We also have storage infrastructure. The two combined can help buffer the intermittency of renewable energy
- We can kick start the transition using our existing hydrogen, a co-product from our existing processes - we make enough hydrogen to fuel 300 million miles of heavy goods vehicle travel
- Clean hydrogen will provide zero emission power for industry and homes and will meet the growing demand for hydrogen fuelled vehicles, including for future versions of our own INEOS Grenadier 4x4
- We recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Hyundai Motor Group to work together on fuel cells for the Grenadier and cooperate on hydrogen development
- We are also working with local and national authorities in several regions to develop the infrastructure needed.
Green energy
Energy sourcing is a key driver of emissions reduction and has a significant impact on our greenhouse gas footprint. Energy reduction and substitution measures are a key part of the roadmaps at each INEOS site. We continuously investigate and implement measures to switch to cleaner energy sources, such as hydrogen co-fuelling, using biogas to replace natural gas, or buying green power through power purchase agreements (sometimes called PPAs).
Action being taken by INEOS O&P Europe:
- INEOS agrees to the largest ever industrial wind power purchase contract in Belgium with ENGIE - the 10-year deal will reduce INEOS’ carbon footprint by 1,150,000 tonnes of CO2
- INEOS signs renewable power deal with RWE – expected to reduce CO2 emissions from its Belgian sites by a further 745,000 tonnes
- INEOS signs renewable power deal with Eneco - the deal increases INEOS' total Belgian offshore wind generation to over 200MW and reduces CO2 emissions by nearly 3 million tonnes
Site optimization
Continuously improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions is in our ‘DNA’. It makes for a cleaner environment, reduces our use of resources, and makes our business economically more sustainable.
Projects vary widely, from new ways of improving process efficiency to innovative solutions for heat integration, to more selective catalysts for our processes. A lot of little things can amount to a big difference. Combined, we expect implementing these efficiency improvements to reduce our overall GHG emissions by 10% by 2025 (based on our 2019 emissions).
We work constantly in each business and on every site to identify and implement improvements. For example, in our Cologne site alone, our team increased site efficiency by optimizing the use of its cooling towers, using new technology to identified compressed air and empowering operators using new dashboards.