Europe & Hydrogen: the INEOS vision

The EU and European governments have made laudable commitments to support the development of Europe’s hydrogen economy, which will contribute towards important net-zero targets.

INEOS will play a leading role in supporting these efforts.

INEOS is committed to net-zero by 2050 and enabling Europe’s energy transition, while producing essential and necessary products that society needs.

Our hydrogen strategy is at the core of this vision – and it will be delivered in Europe.

INEOS is both a user and producer of hydrogen, which puts us in a unique position at the heart of Europe’s hydrogen revolution.

That is why we are we committing to a multi-billion, long-term investment plan in the future of Europe’s hydrogen sector.

At the centre of this plan is an ambition to become Europe’s leading producer of green hydrogen – the fuel of the future.

We have already announced a €2 billion investment into electrolysis projects over the next 10 years - the critical technology necessary to produce green hydrogen - to make zero-carbon hydrogen across Europe, for power generation, transportation, and industrial use.

We believe that this landmark investment has the potential to transform green hydrogen production in Europe, for the benefit of European industry, Europe’s manufacturing sector, European transportation projects and the entire value chain.

Through our INOVYN business, we are already Europe’s largest existing operator of electrolysis.

We also have extensive experience in the handling of hydrogen, which means we are best placed to take the lead in driving progress towards a carbon-free economy in Europe, based on hydrogen.

Our first plants in Europe that will play a major role in the green hydrogen revolution will be built in Norway, Germany, Belgium, with investments also planned in France and the UK.   

We have announced plans to build a large-scale, 100MW electrolyser to produce green hydrogen at our Koln site in Germany.

As a first step of the Koln project, INEOS will produce green hydrogen to feed into INEOS’ green ammonia production – the new application in the future of green fuel production.  

In addition, the green hydrogen produced in Koln will be made available for further INEOS processes at the site, to chemical park operator Currenta and to other users in the region, to support Germany’s sustainability agenda.

We are also working on a game-changing project in Antwerp, Belgium – Project ONE.

Project ONE is a €3bn landmark investment in Europe’s zero-carbon industrial strategy.

It will transform the environmental impact of the European manufacturing sector, support the EU’s sustainable competitiveness ambitions and help enable the achievement of EU carbon and climate targets. 

Project ONE will be Europe’s most environmentally friendly steam cracker, built on technology that has been specifically designed to run on green hydrogen at the earliest point that sufficient supply is available and operate on low carbon hydrogen in the meantime.

Project ONE is the most significant investment in Europe’s chemicals sector in 20 years. It will also support the wider economy of the Antwerp region, attracting additional green investments, creating 300 permanent, high-quality, skilled ‘green’ jobs, each of which will create five or more in other companies in the Antwerp region.

The targets set out by the EU and European governments require concrete action to make the visions and ambitions set out by Europe’s policymakers a reality.

The achievement of these targets will clearly not be possible without the full support of industry.

We can make a transformative impact by applying our collective innovation, creativity and expertise to solve technical challenges that could stand in the way of a new industrial revolution and the delivery of a zero-carbon economy, with green hydrogen at its core.

But we will need the full support of governments and policymakers to achieve our objectives, particularly in green hydrogen.

A wholesale shift to green hydrogen across European industry will not happen overnight. It will require extensive investment of capital and resource from both the private and public sectors to support innovation, technological change and infrastructural transformation.

That is why we must not lose sight of the significant role that low carbon hydrogen can and must play in the Europe’s energy mix in the immediate term. INEOS will invest in using low carbon hydrogen infrastructure for our own operations for that reason – but with an unwavering focus on scaling the production of green hydrogen to an industrial level.

We are committed to working with policymakers and industry partners across Europe to enable zero-carbon investment in the future of the chemicals and manufacturing industry, which will be crucial to make the EU’s Fit for 55 plan – which targets 55% emission reduction by 2030 - a success.

Our hydrogen strategy will be at the heart of that commitment.

INEOS’ approach will not only play a key role in the EU’s Green Deal strategy, but it will help to create a European economy that is sustainable, globally competitive, workable and profitable.

We’re investing substantially in European hydrogen projects to help achieve that vision.

And we welcome others across Europe to join us in our efforts.