INEOS is breaking new ground with Project ONE. It will not only be the first ethane cracker to be built in Europe in a generation, but, thanks to the very latest technology, it is expected to have half of the CO2 footprint compared to the next best cracker in Europe.
“If you compare new technology, in any industry, to very old technology, you get a transformation,” said John McNally, CEO of Project ONE.
But what makes Project ONE even more special, is that it has been designed with one eye on the future.
“We’re making it future-proof in the sense that if we can get our hands on enough low- carbon hydrogen, we can go from a very low footprint on carbon emissions to zero-carbon emissions in the future,” he said. “And no other plant in Europe can say that.”
The plant, which will produce more than one million tonnes of the most widely-used chemical in the world, is currently being constructed in Antwerp, Belgium.
Each piece of the giant project was built separately in other parts of the world and then shipped to the Port of Antwerp.
The reasons that it has not been built from scratch on site, are two-fold. There is not enough space, and the expertise and manpower needed to complete a project of this magnitude no longer exist in North West Europe. The construction of INEOS’ €4 + billion investment is now reaching its peak.
50% Project ONE is expected to have 50% lower CO2 emissions compared to the next best cracker in Europe
We are demonstrating that carbon storage is commercially viable and a far better way to decarbonise Europe without its deindustrialisation.
We’re making it future-proof in the sense that if we can get our hands on enough low-carbon hydrogen, we can go from a very low footprint on carbon emissions to zero-carbon emissions in the future.