Ineos USA announced it will use solar energy to power its olefins and polymer production across its 14 sites in the United States.
NextEra Energy Resources, a US-based renewable energy company, will build and operate a 310 MW solar project in Bosque County, Texas. Ineos has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to purchase all the renewable electricity produced at the site.
The so-called Ineos Hickerson Solar project is expected to produce 730,000 megawatt-hours of clean energy annually, equivalent to the annual electricity use of over 68,000 homes. That is expected to cover the net purchased electricity load of all Ineos manufacturing, fractionation, and storage facilities in the United States.
Ineos Olefins & Polymers USA has an annual manufacturing capacity of 15.3 billion pounds of olefins, high density polyethylene resin, polyethylene pipe, and polypropylene resin. Its sites are mostly concentrated in Texas, where the solar farm will be located.
The project will reduce Ineo’s greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 310,000 tons per year. It is expected to go online by December 2025.
“Ineos O&P USA is committed to leading the petrochemical community in adopting renewable energy solutions,” said CEO Mike Nagle. “This solar project is a crucial step in our global efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of Ineos businesses.”
The UK-based chemical company also powers some of its operations with renewable energy in Europe. Inovyn, Ineo’s chlorvinyls arm, signed a 15-year PPA earlier this year for a 60 MW solar farm in Jemeppe, Belgium, to power PVC production operations.