Participate in a pioneering project in Antwerp chemistry

In the port of Antwerp, chemical company INEOS will soon be building an ethane cracker producing 1,450 ktonnes of ethylene per year. It’s called Project ONE, a real game changer within the sector, both in terms of size and in terms of sustainability. ‘Anyone who wants to participate in one of the most innovative projects in the port is welcome.’ Read more on Tijd.be/INEOS.

To be a part of a groundbreaking project in Antwerp’s chemical industry

‘PROJECT ONE increases the European chemical industry’s sustainability’

Dries De Keyser is following a two-year training course in Cologne, at one of INEOS subsidiary sites. He learns everything about chemical cracking processes. ‘After my training course I move on to Project ONE. The job of process operator really suits me. I really want to be in the field.’

What happens if you increase the temperature of the furnaces or decrease the concentration of a particular process stream? After his handson training in a steam cracker in Germany as a process operator, Dries De Keyser will not only know how such a chemical installation perfectly works but also how it continues to function optimally. ‘I am also gaining both indoor and outdoor experience. In the first year of training I work outdoor, in the field, where I watch over installation parts and maintenance. During the second year, I work indoor, monitoring the chemical processes in the control room.’

NOT A 9-TO-5 JOB

While he could easily have an office job with fixed hours with his education background in chemistry, Dries consciously opts for a career in a factory with shifts. ‘The job of process operator fits me as a glove. I really want to be in the field and I like variety and challenge. Sitting behind a desk is not for me.’

FROM START TO DELIVERY

Dries also finds it a unique experience to be part of Project ONE’s start-up. It gives him the opportunity to experience and follow up on the construction of the factory up close. ‘I get to know the factory much better than people who join it, let us say five years later, after the construction and start-up period. And it gives me insights that I will carry with me during the rest of my career.’

A UNIQUE TRAINING

The training will make Dries a specialist in his field. He gets to know the cracker’s general structure and acquires a detailed picture of how all the installation’s smaller parts work. ‘In the last months of my training, I also get the chance to witness one of the Cologne crackers standstill. It will be stopped for a few months for maintenance and inspection, so it can again run optimally until the next shutdown in five years.’

ONCE IN A LIFETIME

Project ONE immediately allows Dries to be part of the transition to a more efficient and environmentally friendly chemical industry. As a recent graduate, he also wants to have an impact: for himself, the industry and the society. As a model within Europe, Project ONE will meet the highest standards. ‘This is something you only experience once,’ he emphasizes.

‘These two years I will gain experience in the cracking process, after which I will get of to a flying start even before the Antwerp cracker is fully operational. I want to keep learning, and I look for variety, freedom and growth opportunities in my work. Project ONE gives me all of that.”

ID KIT

Name: Dries De Keyser (23)

Position: Procesoperator in opleiding

The ethane cracker that INEOS plans to build in Antwerp will be so efficient that its CO2 emissions are less than half of today’s 10 percent best European ethane crackers. “We significantly reduce CO2 emissions for crackers and as such, we encourage other European companies to produce more sustainably,” says Gorik Van engelandt, Operations Representative for Project ONE at INEOS.

Gorik ensures that the cracker works smoothly and maintenance-friendly, and that installation’s design fits this purpose. He also ensures that the transition from the construction phase to the start-up of the factory runs flawlessly.

A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARD

An ethane cracker converts ethane to ethylene. The chemical industry then uses that ethylene as a building block for products that we use every day in the automotive, construction, energy, food hygiene and medical sectors. ‘This is a groundbreaking project for our country and for Europe: both in terms of size and in terms of sustainability,’ says Gorik. ‘We have consistently used the best available technologies to keep our environmental footprint as low as possible. For example, we will use the hydrogen created as a by-product of the cracking process, as low-carbon fuel for the furnaces and steam boilers. Thanks to the design’s highly integrated systems, the coldness of the raw materials and the heat of the furnaces are optimally used to save energy. And all externally sourced electricity is renewable through the offshore wind energy contracts that we concluded with Engie, RWE and Eneco. Our low emissions – the lowest in Europe – and a future-proof design puts us in an excellent position to take the next step towards net zero. We have the ambition to achieve it within ten years after start-up.’

INNOVATION IN GLOBAL ECONOMY

INEOS is also building the associated infrastructure: storage tanks, offices, workshops, and utilities such as an electrical distribution network and kilometers of pipe bridges. Construction of the entire project will take approximately four years. During the peak, up to 2,500 people will be employed. ‘This investment will create 300 new high-quality jobs, 150 permanent contractors on the site and thousands of indirect jobs,’ says Gorik Van engelandt. ‘By opting for the most advanced technologies with a low ecological footprint, we increase the competitiveness of the Antwerp petrochemical cluster. That is important, because fundamental solutions are needed to remain competitive against chemical players in China, India and Saudi Arabia, among others.’

ID KIT

Name: Dr. Ir. Gorik Van engelandt (46)

Position: Operations Representative – Project ONE

Professional experience: Worked as a civil engineer in chemistry for 15 years at TOTAL. Joined Project ONE in 2019.

Passionate about: Sustainability and increasing it

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES AND JOBS

With approximately three billion euros, Project ONE is also the largest investment in the European chemical sector in 25 years. It is an engine for the local economy, with opportunities for local collaborations with engineering and construction partners, local contractors and a higher attractiveness for other sector investments. ‘INEOS is looking for operators, engineers and maintenance technicians, among others. Anyone who wants to participate in one of the most innovative projects in the port is welcome. Project ONE will be the flagship among European crackers’, says Gorik Van engelandt.

Van engelandt,

‘To witness THE START-UP of a gas cracker is a unique career experience’

‘‘I want to keep learning, and I look for variety and freedom in my work’

Dries De Keyser, Process operator in training for Project ONE

‘‘‘We increase the competitiveness of the Antwerp petrochemical cluster’

Gorik

Operations Representative for Project ONE