INEOS Project One ethane cracker sheet-piling starts in Antwerp
- Investment of around €4 billion to build a new ethane-to-ethylene steam cracker at the Port of Antwerp.
- Construction duration four years with start-up expected in 2026 and peak onsite workforce about 3,000.
- 4 km of sheet piling to be pushed 8 m deep using low-noise methods to isolate groundwater.
- INEOS says the cracker will have the lowest carbon footprint among European crackers, under half the emissions of the current top 10% performers.
Ceremony and timeline
On 15 December a symbolic sheet pile was installed at the Port of Antwerp to mark the start of site works for Project One, INEOS’ ethane cracker. Company and local officials attended the event. Construction is planned to take four years, with commissioning expected in 2026.
Site works and construction methods
Preparatory works began after the environmental permit was granted in June, with the Mourik–Aertssen temporary partnership working on site since early August. Aertssen Infra handles earthworks, drainage and sheet piling while Mourik focuses on water treatment and concrete. A total of 4 km of sheet piling will be pushed 8 m deep into the clay using a low-noise pushing method to isolate groundwater and allow controlled dewatering within the site.
Scale, resources and emissions claim
INEOS describes Project One as a major build: a site the size of 128 football fields, a 75,000 m² cracker facility, 2,000 km of piping, four Eiffel Towers’ worth of steel and roughly 8 million working hours. Preparatory figures cited include 26 km of drainage, 260 pumps, 300,000 tonnes of earthmoving and a water treatment plant handling 75 m³/hr. The project team numbers about 200, some 60 people are already onsite, rising to around 3,000 at peak; INEOS expects 450 new direct jobs (300 payroll, 150 contractors) plus thousands of indirect roles. The company says the plant will deliver the lowest carbon footprint of any European cracker, under half the emissions of the current top 10% performers.
