Frequently
Asked Questions

INEOS is an international chemical company with roots in Antwerp. At 194 sites and with 26,000 employees worldwide, INEOS produces the essential building blocks for a wide variety of high-quality products that are ubiquitous in our daily lives: cosmetics, medicines, disinfectant hand gel, sterile packaging, pipes for transporting potable water, solar panels and wind turbines, lightweight materials for the automotive industry, insulation materials, inks and paints, packaging materials that increase the storage time of foodstuffs, and so on.

INEOS has 10 production units, R&D facilities and 3 commercial offices in Belgium. Of these, 8 production sites are located in and around Antwerp (Lillo (2), Doel, Geel(2), Zandvliet (2), Zwijndrecht). Project ONE will be the 9th production site in Antwerp and the 11th in Belgium.

Project ONE consists of an ethane cracker which will produce 1450 000 tonnes of ethylene. Ethylene is an essential building block for numerous high-quality products in the automotive, construction, energy and medical sectors (among others). For example, pipes for transporting drinking water and gas, insulation materials, textiles, solar panels, windmill lubricants and blades, sterile packaging, MRI scanners, recyclable packaging, and lightweight parts for cars.

INEOS was founded more than 20 years ago in Antwerp. And since then, we have maintained good relationships with the city and the port. We are strongly convinced that the port of Antwerp – with its entrepreneurship, logistics Infrastructure and well-trained people – is the perfect base for our activities.

Moreover, the port of Antwerp’s location is one of its greatest assets. The direct deep-sea access, the existing pipeline network, and an ecosystem where cross-pollination with sector colleagues is encouraged, make the port of Antwerp unique.

For these reasons, INEOS continues to invest in Antwerp. With the arrival of Project ONE, we are strengthening our presence and increasing the effectiveness of Europe’s chemical sector.

Project ONE is being built in an industrial zone in the port of Antwerp, and is hence an example of an infill project in the port. We will build the ethane cracker in Lillo, on the right bank of the River Scheldt, amidst other chemical plants.

Project ONE is the largest and most substantial investment in the European chemical sector in the past 20 years. When this project Is completed, Antwerp will have the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly ethylene installation in all of Europe. INEOS is making over €3 billion available for the realization of Project ONE.

The industrial plant will produce ethylene, the building block of products that are part of our daily lives. In addition to the construction of the industrial installation, the site will also be equipped with the necessary infrastructure and utilities, such as paved roads and underground pipes, the construction of steam boilers and an electrical distribution network, a water purification station, and loading and unloading infrastructure for sea-going vessels.

The arrival of Project ONE will benefit employment in the port of Antwerp. With this investment, INEOS is creating 300 full-time high-qualified jobs and 150 permanent contractor jobs on site and a fivefold indirectly in the region.  During the works, this figure will rise to more than 3000. You can find more information in the jobs section.