Veolia Delays Final Investment Decision on Green Polyolefin Project

AP Moller Holding's subsidiary Vionio announced that it has postponed the final investment decision (FID) for its €1.5 billion green polyolefins project planned in Antwerp, Belgium, to mid-2026.

The project has an annual output of 300,000 tons and will use renewable methanol from China as the feedstock for a methanol-to-olefins (MTO) plant. The green ethylene and propylene produced by this MTO plant will be supplied to downstream polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) facilities. However, the project is still scheduled to start operations in 2029.

According to a statement released by Veonio in April this year, the final investment decision for the project was originally planned to be made by the end of 2025. The statement also noted that the price premium of the fossil-free PE and PP produced is expected to be 2 to 3 times that of conventional PE and PP. Despite the petrochemical market currently being in a slump and the short-term outlook being bleak, Veonio's vision of building a global business has not changed. After the final investment decision for the first project is made, the company's plan is to "advance the construction of one to two subsequent plants, truly developing it into a global business." The second plant is highly likely to be located in Europe as well.

In September of this year, Vionio selected ECI Group's high-pressure technology for the construction of a low-density polyethylene plant with an annual capacity of 110,000 tons at its Antwerp complex. In August, the company announced the selection of Lummus Technology's Novolen process technology for a polypropylene plant with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons in the same complex. In January, Vionio reached an agreement to use Honeywell International's Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) technology for the project.