The arrival of the first furnaces for INEOS’ Project ONE ethane cracker marks a significant milestone in one of Europe’s most advanced petrochemical projects. Designed to produce high-purity ethylene with improved energy efficiency and lower emissions, this state-of-the-art cracker is set to reshape the future of sustainable petrochemical manufacturing. This market analysis explores the impact of Project ONE, key investment trends, and how INEOS is positioning itself at the forefront of next-generation ethylene production.

First furnaces for INEOS’ ethane cracker arrive at Project ONE site

• Works on the Project ONE yard are running at full speed as the first giant plant modules arrive and the site goes vertical
• The arrival of the first cracking furnaces in Antwerp is a highlight in the construction records of the plant
• Project is on track with a total of EUR 3 billion spent to date. In 2025, activity in the Antwerp site will peak with up to 2,500 workers
• Already, 125 permanent employees have been recruited, and the hiring process for many more technical profiles is ongoing. Project ONE will create a total of 450 high-quality permanent jobs (300 payroll employees and 150 permanent contractors)

INEOS has received the module containing the first two furnaces destined for Project ONE’s new ethane cracker at the quay of the construction site in Lillo, Antwerp. The arrival of this module is an essential milestone in the realization of INEOS’ investment in a new chemical plant in Antwerp. Indeed, the furnaces form the heart of the ethane cracker under construction. In the furnace section, ethane is converted to ethylene by bringing the ethane to a high temperature in the presence of steam.
 
Weighing as much as 6,000 tonnes, more than 32 meters wide and 60 meters high (as high as Antwerp’s Museum aan de Stroom), this is one of the largest and most spectacular industrial ships transports ever in the port of Antwerp. The monetary value of the module with two furnaces is also considerable: it amounts to as much as EUR 150 million.
 
The arrival of the remaining four furnaces is scheduled for the first quarter of this year.
 
John McNally, CEO of INEOS Project ONE, said, “The arrival of the first furnaces at the Antwerp site after a long overseas journey is a spectacular and joyous moment for everyone involved in making our project. It cannot be ignored: Project One is no longer a virtual project on paper but is increasingly gaining a foothold in the port. Seeing a plant rise after all these years of preparation is hugely motivating. A lot of work was done in 2024, but by 2025, the center of gravity of construction activity will be fully in Antwerp.”

Special overseas transport: from Sattahip to Antwerp
 
The overseas transit of the furnaces, which were manufactured in Thailand, is considered one of the most critical moments during the lifetime of the furnaces, which lasts around 50 years. Because of the precarious situation in the Red Sea, the transport had to make a diversion via the Cape of Good Hope and was underway for 55 days over a distance of 12,500 nautical miles. It was reinforced with a steel framework and welded to the ship to keep the cargo stable during overseas transport.
 
The vessel will stay another 9 days at the quay wall for releasing and unloading the module with furnaces and pipe racks. The round-the-clock activity will be carried out by Flemish contractor Sarens, who is also in charge of the SPMT (Self Propelled Modular Transporter) transport and jacking to bring the components to the correct position for installation on site, a massive endeavor due to the enormous dimensions of the plant units.
 
Modular construction concept
 
Project ONE is also generating a lot of activity outside Antwerp. As many as 10,000 workers worldwide were mobilised for the construction of the new plant. A large number of these were at work in the module yards in Thailand, Abu Dhabi, and the Philippines, a phase that is now gradually being completed. A total of 10 million man-hours were performed at the Thailand yard.
 
Modules like furnaces require specialized expertise both for their production and assembly. Only a few construction yards worldwide are adequately equipped and accessible to ocean-going vessels. Moreover, there is too little space at Antwerp’s construction site for storing materials and constructing these large-scale modules while civil and underground works are in full swing.
 
For this modular construction method, INEOS relied on the extensive expertise of its technology partner, Technip Energies. With the arrival of the modules in Antwerp, the plant can be built like Lego bricks connected on-site.
 
Furnaces with flexible, future-oriented design
 
The INEOS cracker furnaces are equipped with Ultra-low NOx burners and combustion air preheaters that ensure maximum reduction of NOx emissions and maximum energy efficiency. Because of the unique combination of features, the furnaces selected for Project ONE have the lowest carbon footprint compared to all other similar alternatives. They are suitable for using fuel with a high hydrogen content. From the first day, the ethane cracker is operational, INEOS will already be able to meet 60% of its heat demand with low-carbon hydrogen instead of natural gas. State-of-the-art technology, coupled with this reduced use of natural gas, means the Project One cracker will have ½ the carbon footprint per tonne of product compared to the next best cracker in Europe. The technology is already poised to switch to 100% hydrogen as soon as sufficient volumes of affordable, climate-friendly hydrogen become available.
 
Bhaskar Patel, SVP of Sustainable Fuels, Chemicals & Circularity, Technip Energies, said: “The arrival of the first shipment of furnace modules for INEOS in Belgium shows that exceptional standards of safety and quality underpin our extensive expertise in modularized delivery. We want to thank INEOS for its trust and cooperation. We look forward to completing the next phases of the Project ONE journey.”
 
2025: towards peak yard activity
 
In 2024, civil and underground works on the site were completed to prepare the site for the arrival of the plant modules. The first vertical structure emerged with the ethane tank, which, with a capacity of 197 000 m3, is the largest in Europe. By 2025, with the integration of the modules, the construction site will increasingly take on the contours of a chemical plant. At the peak of the work (from the third quarter onwards), around 2,500 workers will be employed.
 
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, commented: “The arrival of the first furnaces for Project ONE marks a crucial milestone for Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the European chemical sector. This project strengthens Antwerp’s role as a strategic hub and helps anchor a forward-looking and sustainable industry in Europe. This investment is necessary for the European economy. We are therefore proud to see this progress at the port and look forward to the further realization of this pioneering investment.

Why Klean Industries is the Future of Sustainable Petrochemical Innovation

As the petrochemical sector moves toward decarbonization, investments like INEOS’ Project ONE ethane cracker highlight the growing demand for energy-efficient and environmentally responsible ethylene production. Klean Industries is at the forefront of industrial decarbonization, delivering cutting-edge waste-to-energy, circular economy, and sustainable chemical solutions to reduce emissions and optimize resource efficiency.

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