Vioneo commissions Wood to design world’s first industrial-scale fossil-free plastics plant
Iranpolymer/Baspar Danish company Vioneo has awarded engineering and consulting firm Wood a contract to design the world’s first industrial-scale plant for fossil-free plastics. Located in the port of Antwerp, the facility will produce 300 kilotonnes annually of high-quality polyethylene and polypropylene, using green methanol instead of fossil-based feedstock.
Wood has been granted a multi-million euro front-end engineering design (FEED) contract, covering the crucial initial phase of the project. The plant will be fully powered by renewable energy and designed to operate with high energy efficiency. According to Vioneo, the resulting plastics will be fully traceable, segregated from fossil-based materials, and even carbon-negative. They are intended as high-quality drop-in alternatives that can be used in existing production processes without any modifications.
Alternative to fossil-based value chains
‘Vioneo is proving that large-scale, cleaner production of plastics from green methanol is economically viable,’ said CEO Alex Hogan. ‘This project gives Europe a real opportunity to lead the global transition of the €5 trillion chemicals and materials sector. Our partnership with Wood is a critical step in realizing that ambition.’
Wood also highlighted the strategic importance of the project. ‘Demand for fossil-free plastics is rapidly increasing in Europe,’ said Gerry Traynor, President Eastern Hemisphere Projects at Wood. ‘With this initiative, Vioneo is accelerating CO₂ reductions in the European plastics industry.’
Vioneo is part of A.P. Moller Holding, the parent company of the A.P. Moller Group. The company’s founding aligns with the Danish group’s broader strategy to promote green methanol production and support sustainable solutions for the plastics sector. Vioneo emphasized that the use of green methanol as feedstock does not impact food supply chains.
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