Minister of Finance and Budget and Flemish formateur Matthias Diependaele visited our site in the port of Antwerp as part of a Voka summer internship. He was given a tour of the construction site and heard more about the sustainable ethane cracker we are building.
Matthias Diependaele: ‘The project indicates both what Flanders’ strengths are that we need to focus on – the economic prosperity that creates well-being in Flanders – and the challenges we face – the barriers to investment in Flanders. Hence, it is very important to meet people on the field to hear what exactly is the way of working and how we can deal with this as policymakers.”
INEOS is investing 4 billion in the Antwerp project: completion of the site is scheduled for the end of 2026. Rob Ingram, CEO INEOS Olefins & Polymers Europe: ‘The majority of the contractors are Flemish companies. We are extremely satisfied with the quality of work we see here. We look forward to continuing to work with that high quality.’
Matthias Diependaele accompanied a Sarens crane operator for his summer internship during hoisting works for the Grid Intake Station for Project ONE. That ‘Grid Intake Substation’ of Project ONE is the hub for receiving electricity from Elia and the public power grid. Construction – a project by Vanhout and Equans – is well underway and the substation will play a crucial role in the start-up and operations of Project ONE.
At peak construction periods, 2,500 people will be working at the Project ONE site at the same time. You can spot just about every major Flemish construction company on site.
The visit was part of the summer internships organised by Voka. At the end of their visit to the site, Minister Diependaele and Hans Maertens, managing director of Voka, received a unique souvenir: a Project ONE safety helmet, painted by Flemish artist Denis De Gloire. He chose to use green colours for this, referring to the sustainable nature of the ethane cracker under construction.
Watch the aftermovie and more photos below.
The investment in Lillo will create 450 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. In the coming months, we are looking for 200 people to join our team. Want to work on a unique project? Then be sure to keep an eye on our job vacancies page!