Ineos Inovyn, the chlorvinyls arm of UK-based chemical company Ineos, has announced that its PVC production operations in Jemeppe, Belgium, will be partly powered by solar energy starting this summer.
The Jemeppe site is one of the largest PVC production facilities in Europe, with 420,000 tonnes supplied to sectors such as building, automotive, and piping every year.
PerPetum Energy is building the solar park, which is owned and financed by Green4Power. Ineos has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) to purchase all the renewable electricity produced at the site. The 60 MW solar installation is expected to come online in July 2024. Over 90,000 solar panels will occupy the equivalent of 56 football pitches and reduce carbon emissions by 14,000 tonnes annually, helping Ineos' to diversify its energy sources.
An interesting feature of the solar park is its east-west orientation, deviating from the more usual south-orientation choice in the northern hemisphere. East-west installations produce less energy per installed module. However, an east-west structure can squeeze in more rows and panels, increasing the generation capacity per surface area and reducing the amount of land used. Moreover, east-west solar parks generate more electricity during the morning and evening hours and less during the midday peak sunny hours, when electricity is cheaper.
This orientation can be a good match for clients like Ineos, whose operations are energy intensive over the entire day. Ineos will be able to power its PVC operations with renewable electricity when using grid-based energy would be the most expensive. Reducing the energy bill can in turn deliver a competitive advantage at a time when European plastic producers are paying much higher prices than in the US or China, for example.
“European plastics face a competitiveness gap with the US and China, driven by higher energy costs, less access to raw material and a challenging regulatory landscape,” Ineos said in a statement. “Measures are needed to safeguard the competitiveness of our industry and avoid Europe becoming dependent on imports from abroad. Support schemes that provide access to renewable energy are critical to a sustainable future,” the company concluded.