After some back and forth, Ineos (London; www.ineos.com) finally seems to be in luck. Following the intervention of owner Jim Ratcliffe – who recently made headlines due to his involvement with the Manchester United football club – it seems the petrochemicals group can get on with construction of the Project One ethane cracker at the Belgian port of Antwerp.

In summer 2023, the Flemish Raad voor Vergunningsbetwistingen (RvVB, Council for Permit Disputes) cancelled construction and environmental permits issued in 2021 and 2022. The main reason for this was the nitrogen pollution of a nearby nature reserve, the extent of which is unclear.

According to Belgian media reports, the regional environmental commission GOVC (Brussels; www.omgeving.vlaanderen.be) has now spoken out in favour of the project. Final approval from the Flemish environment minister Zuhal Demir and Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon is still pending but appears to be a mere formality. Ineos reacted with relief: “This clears the way for the construction of Europe’s most sustainable cracker,” it said in a statement.

According to journalists from Belgian daily newspaper De Tijd (editor’s note: The Times) and others, various lower environmental authorities have abandoned their previously expressed scepticism and have now voted unreservedly in favour of the project. 

Related: Court halts construction of Project One cracker

Ineos, however, will have to fulfil additional conditions, as reported by the Belgian media. When asked by Plasteurope.com, neither the company nor the authorities revealed exactly what these are. But these could be the attainment of climate neutrality within 10 years and requirements relating to the emission of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Flemish regional government recently imposed stricter PFAS standards following pressure from the public. 

The new ethane cracker, which is expected to cost around EUR 4 bn, is set to have a capacity of 1.45 mn t/y of ethylene. The plant will be fed with shale gas from the US. In view of the recent delays, commissioning is unlikely to be possible before 2026.