Renewable chemistry company Avantium N.V has announced that the National Programme Groningen has confirmed to the company that it will receive a €7.5 million grant to support the construction in Delfzijl, the Netherlands, of a 5-kilotonne FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid) flagship plant. FDCA is the key building block for polyethylene furanoate, or PEF, a plant-based, fully recyclable plastic material with a combination of environmental and performance benefits with the potential to replace PET in bottles and other applications.
This grant is part of the previously announced €30 million financing mix agreed between Avantium and the Groningen consortium in January 2020. Further announcements regarding the details of the remaining €22.5 million will be released when appropriate.
The National Programme Groningen is a 10-year programme that has been established with the aim of reinvigorating this region in the northernmost part of the Netherlands. After years of natural gas extraction activities, the area has suffered earthquakes which have cause widespread damage of houses and other buildings. This programme is a partnership between the Dutch national government, the Province of Groningen and ten municipalities. Granted a starting capital of €1.5 billion by the national government, it is focussed on projects that contribute to the future and prosperity of Groningen, targeting economic development, the quality of the living environment, energy transition and sustainability.
The board of the National Programme Groningen has designated the construction of Avantium’s FDCA flagship plant as an “icon project” for the region. If all goes according to plan, the new plant will be started up in 2023 and will create around 60 jobs in the region.