Energy is building at Project ONE in Antwerp
INEOS ethane cracker permanently connected to the grid
- New milestone reached for Project ONE: final commissioning of the Project ONE main electrical substation
- The power supply enables Project ONE to start the commissioning phase, a process of testing and verifying that systems and equipment are fully installed and ready for safe, reliable operation as designed.
- All externally sourced energy comes from wind farms in the North Sea
Project ONE switched on for good
This week, INEOS took another significant step forward in the realisation of Project ONE, the ethane cracker under construction in the Port of Antwerp. Following a successful test late last year in which the site was temporarily supplied with power, the main substation at the Project ONE site has now been successfully commissioned.
The main substation, visible from the Scheldelaan in Lillo (port of Antwerp), is the beating heart of Project ONE’s electricity network, supplying power to the cracker and its supporting utilities. This energy is needed to drive motors, pumps, compressors – in short, all the site’s control systems. The electricity is 100% renewable, as it comes from the wind farms off the Belgian coast for which power purchase agreements have been concluded.
Green light for commissioning
Now that power is present in the ‘Grid Intake Station’ or main substation, the electricity will be further distributed to the substations via a cascade system, so that ultimately the entire electrical network is energised. This is a key prerequisite for commencing the ‘commissioning phase’. Commissioning is a crucial part of the project’s implementation to ensure a safe and reliable start-up. During this phase, all subsystems of the installation are thoroughly tested to ensure they have been implemented safely and in accordance with the design’s quality requirements.
Brent Walworth, Commissioning Manager at INEOS Project ONE, commented:
“With the successful energisation of the main substation, a major milestone has been reached in the run-up to the commissioning phase. Above all, it has been a great team effort between Elia’s engineers and technicians, the construction and commissioning team, and the future operators and electrical experts at the plant, who are already fully involved in the preparations for the start-up. Given the complexity of the cracker and its supporting infrastructure, the commissioning process will be a significant endeavour, as its scope covers no fewer than around 700 systems.”
Reliability of energy supply, a must for the cracker
Project ONE’s ‘Grid Intake Station’ connects to an underground link between Elia’s ‘Lillo’ high-voltage substation, near the Tijsman Tunnel, and the Project ONE site on the Scheldelaan in Antwerp. This was achieved using two underground power cables spanning a distance of just under 3 kilometres. At the Project ONE site, they re-emerge above ground and are each connected to a powerful switch and transformer. These transformers convert the ultra-high voltage of 380,000 volts to a workable high voltage of 150,000 volts. The electricity then flows to transformers, which further reduce the voltage to 36,000 volts – the voltage used within the plant to distribute the electricity further.
With a voltage level of 380 kilovolts, the highest in Belgium, INEOS has deliberately opted for the highest possible reliability. The higher the voltage, the lower the energy loss during the transmission of electricity.
David Smith, Programme Engineering Manager, INEOS Project ONE:
“Maximum reliability of the power supply is of paramount importance for a cracker plant such as Project ONE. If the power were to suddenly fail, it could cause significant damage to the plant. Furthermore, it takes weeks to restart the plant after such a trip. For this reason, a great deal of redundancy has been built into our electricity network through parallel-connected power supplies and generators. If the primary supply fails, the backup system takes over. This automatic switchover will be thoroughly tested during the commissioning phase.”
Equipped with advanced materials
The substation is equipped with state-of-the-art electrical equipment from Siemens Energy for the supply of switchgear and protection systems that guarantee high reliability without interruptions to the network. General Electric Vernova was responsible for supplying high-efficiency, low-loss transformers. Schneider Electric supplied an energy management system for the remote monitoring and control of the electricity grid, which is necessary for continuous safe, reliable and efficient operation.
About Project ONE
Project ONE, the ‘renaissance’ of European basic chemicals
Chemical applications that improve our quality of life have become an integral part of everyday life. INEOS aims not only to meet this need but also to fulfil climate targets.
The ethane cracker that INEOS Olefins Belgium is building in the port of Antwerp is the most sustainable of its kind. The facts speak for themselves: the carbon emissions from the cracking plant are no less than three times lower than those of the average cracker in Europe. Compared to the top 10% of performers in Europe, the Project ONE cracker emits less than half as much. This is because the best available technologies have been chosen across the board for this plant, which translates into maximum energy efficiency.
Long before the nitrogen debate flared up, INEOS had already committed to minimising its environmental impact by incorporating the two Best Available Techniques (BAT) into the design of its facilities (6 furnaces + 2 steam generators) to limit nitrogen emissions. This involves the use of low-NOx burners on the one hand, and the implementation of SCR deNOx systems at these eight emission points on the other. This combination of techniques ensures an effective 71% reduction in NOx emissions.
It has been 30 years since an investment of this scale was made in Europe. For the future of the petrochemical cluster in Antwerp – one of the key drivers of the Flemish economy – it is now more important than ever that the sector continues to innovate. Not least to remain competitive in a global market. Just as in the automotive sector, where new, more environmentally friendly models are replacing older ones, a similar market shift will occur with the arrival of Project ONE, making the sector as a whole more sustainable.
With this investment, INEOS Olefins Belgium is also creating 450 direct, high-quality jobs in the local labour market; indirectly, there are thousands more.
The ethane cracker at Project ONE will produce ethylene, one of the most widely used basic chemicals in the world. This chemical building block is used in a wide range of applications, including those designed to facilitate the energy transition, such as wind turbines, solar panels and insulation materials. By producing this ethylene with the lowest possible carbon footprint, INEOS is meeting growing market demand.
The installation is future-proof. The path to net-zero emissions is the shortest for Project ONE, not only because of its starting point, but also because the design incorporates the necessary flexibility to harness the potential of new technologies: for example, provided there is sufficient availability of low-carbon hydrogen, it is possible to run the furnaces and steam boilers entirely on this fuel, thereby reducing emissions to virtually zero.
More info: https://project-one.ineos.com/en/
Press contact
Nathalie Meert
Media Gallery
