AP Moller Holding invests in fossil-free plastic production in Antwerp

AP Moller Holding, the Maersk family’s investment group, has thrown its weight behind efforts to cut fossil fuels from plastics production, in an attempt to crack one of the biggest climate challenges, said the FT.

The group has been developing plans for a €1.5bn plastics factory in Antwerp, Belgium, that would use green methanol, made from low-carbon hydrogen or biomaterial, and run on green electricity.

It has set up a new company, Vioneo, to develop the plant that it said would be the first in Europe to produce plastics at scale without using fossil fuels, in a potential boost to the continent’s industry.

“The European chemical industry is effectively a bit of a sunset industry,” said Jan Nielsen, chief investment officer at AP Moller Holding. “I think this shows a potential future.”

Plastics, critical to essential products ranging from packaging to medical equipment, are typically made from fossil fuels such as gas, coal and oil.

The OECD, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation, estimates that plastics account for about 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions over their lifecycle.

The plant planned for Antwerp’s Vopak Energy Park would instead use methanol made either from biomass or by combining hydrogen and biogenic carbon dioxide.

It aims to produce about 300,000 tonnes per year of polypropylene and polyethylene, amounting to about 0.14 per cent of the current global market for the two types of plastic.

“It’s a tiny drop in the ocean but an important first step,” said Nielsen. Vioneo would eventually aim to develop further plants.

The company, which has hired Alex Hogan from multinational chemicals group Ineos as its chief executive from November 11, is working towards taking a final investment decision in 2025 to get up and running during 2028.

It faces several hurdles, however, such as sourcing the 800,000 tonnes per year of green methanol needed, securing low-cost green electricity and striking contracts with buyers willing to pay a premium for a greener product.

Jan Secher, chair of Vioneo, said it was in “advanced discussions” with unnamed global brands interested in buying the product, with interest shown by European companies one reason for developing the plant in Antwerp rather than elsewhere.

“Europe as a region is pushing the transformation of sustainable chemical production, much more than the other regions,” he said. “Customers here in Europe are open to that approach. Our logic is that we want to be close to these customers.”

Vioneo is preparing to apply for financial support from the European Commission’s Innovation Fund, while AP Moller Holding, which is funding the project, aims to eventually bring in new investors.

“We will at some point in time move to get co-investors,” said Nielsen. “But we believe it’s better to mature the project before hand.”

The potential investment comes as concerns rise about Europe’s competitiveness compared with the US and China, with some companies warning red tape created by climate laws is strangling the region’s growth.


Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the petrochemicals billionaire who founded and chairs Ineos, in February blamed Europe’s “suffocating bureaucracy” for deterring investment.

The Maersk family founded the AP Moller-Maersk shipping and logistics group in the early 1900s.

They went on to develop the AP Moller Group that invests in sectors ranging from offshore wind to medical diagnostics, which they still control. AP Moller Holding is the parent company of the AP Moller Group.


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The Mitsubishi Chemical Group (the MCG Group) has acquired ISCC PLUS certification, an international certification system for sustainable products, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This certification guarantees that recycled raw materials and biomass raw materials are properly managed in the supply chain, including product manufacturing. With this certification, the MCG Group will be able to handle the following products that utilize the mass balance method.

Through the acquisition of this certification and the provision of certified products, the MCG Group will
continue to contribute to the social implementation of sustainable products that use recycled and
biomass raw materials.

Mass balance is defined by ISO standard 22095:2020 as a system in which “materials or products with a set of specified characteristics are mixed according to defined criteria with materials or products without that set of characteristics."

Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) has announced that it is exploring the possibility of chemically recycling old tires using coke ovens at its Sakaida plant in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, and producing eco-friendly carbon black from the raw material. MCG plans to begin selling the "green" carbon black produced from tires by March 2026.

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Structural and surfacing products manufacturer IPS Adhesives (IPSA; Durham, NC) announced on Monday that it has acquired a range of adhesives based on acrylate and methyl methacrylate (MMA) technology from L&L Products (Romeo, MI), said Chemweek.

Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal complements IPS Adhesives’ specialist MMA-based product offering and provides a platform that enhances its ability to deliver innovative solutions that facilitate lightweighting and the bonding of dissimilar materials. Such products are sold into transportation, construction, automotive, marine and other industrial applications.

For L&L Products, the sale will allow the company to focus on the development and commercialization of adhesives, sealants, reinforcements, and acoustic technologies for automotive and transportation markets, as well as efforts to diversify its end markets.

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Woodside Energy Group Ltd. has agreed to acquire 100% of OCI Clean Ammonia Holding BV and its blue ammonia plant in Beaumont, Tex., for USD2.35 billion, inclusive of capital expenditure through completion of the project’s first phase, said the company.

The OCI Clean Ammonia project, currently under construction, is expected to produce ammonia, derived from natural gas, in 2025, targeting conventional ammonia customers. Lower-carbon ammonia production, derived from natural gas paired with carbon sequestration, is targeted for 2026 and will target lower-carbon ammonia customers in Europe and Asia.

OCI will continue to manage the construction, commissioning, and startup of the plant and will continue to direct the contractors until the project is fully staffed and operational, at which point it will handover to Woodside.

Phase 1 has a design capacity of 1.1 million tonnes/year (tpy) and is 70% complete. Engineering is 99% complete, procurement is 84% complete (includes 100% of long-lead items), and all major mechanical equipment has been delivered with installation under way or completed. Phase 1 includes scope to accommodate Phase 2, which could add another 1.1 million tpy of ammonia synthesis subject to final investment decision, expected in 2026.

“This transaction positions Woodside in the growing lower carbon ammonia market,” said Woodside chief executive officer Meg O’Neill, who noted potential applications in power generation, marine fuels, and as industrial feedstock.

“Global ammonia demand is forecast to double by 2050, with lower carbon ammonia making up nearly two-thirds of total demand,” she said as part of an Aug. 5 release.

“Phase 1 has the capacity to abate 1.6 million tpy of CO2-e and with the addition of Phase 2 the project has the capacity to abate 3.2 million tpy CO2-e, over 60% of Woodside’s Scope 3 abatement target,” O’Neill continued.

Agreements for the feedstock and CCS capacity are in place. The nitrogen and lower-carbon hydrogen feedstock will be sourced primarily from Linde. The Linde feedstock plant is currently under construction, targeting completion in early 2026. Ahead of completion, early supply of feedstock will come from multiple suppliers, including Linde, from available capacity in the Gulf Coast.

ExxonMobil is expected to transport and permanently store up to 2.2 million tpy of CO2 from Linde’s hydrogen production plant.

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Gazprom Neft plans to double the number of electro-charging stations to 140 at its filling stations in 2025, CEO Alexander Dyukov told reporters on the sidelines of Russian Energy Week, as per Interfax.

"We are developing the construction of electro-charging stations where there is demand for them, namely in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Moscow and Leningrad regions, and Nizhny Novgorod, as well as along federal highways.

There are currently 65 electro-charging stations operating at Gazprom Neft filling stations and partner locations. We plan to double the number to 140 next year. We are of course earning on this now, and we believe even more going forward. We assume that the number of electric vehicles will gradually increase, and the market will expand," Dyukov said.

Gazprom Neft, in cooperation with the St. Petersburg Chemical-Pharmaceutical University, has launched a new direction for supporting startups of young entrepreneurs in the field of biotechnology, medical chemistry, new polymers and materials within the framework of the KhimPharm Dolina accelerator.

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