Our History
From a single site in Antwerp bought for £84 million and employing just 400 people, INEOS has grown exponentially since it was formed in May 1998. Here is an overview of the key milestones in our short history.
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2024
INEOS Britannia wins the Louis Vuitton Cup and Challenges for the 37th Americas Cup
INEOS Automotive’s first global brand advertising campaign: built for more
INEOS Completes Purchase of LyondellBasell’s Ethylene Oxide and Derivatives Business
INEOS Nitriles' new world-first bio-based acrylonitrile for Carbon Fibre begin, offering 90% reduction in carbon footprint.
INEOS completes the acquisition of TotalEnergies' petrochemical assets at Lavera
Manchester United plc and Trawlers Ltd Announce the Successful Completion of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Minority Investment
Sir Jim Ratcliffe writes to European Commission: "This is the last chance to stop Europe from sleepwalking into off-shoring its industry, jobs investments and emissions."
INEOS Inovyn starts a 90,000-panel solar farm in Jemeppe Belgium.
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2023
INEOS Phenol starts up Europe's largest Cumene facility and halves CO2 emissions
INEOS Acetyls completes the acquisition of the 600kt Acetic Acid plant and all associated third party activities at the Eastman Texas City site
Our Inovyn business becomes Europe’s first green hydrogen ISCC PLUS fully certificated producer
INEOS Enterprises Acquires Eramet Titanium & Iron (ETI).
INEOS and SINOPEC form a 50/50 joint venture with SINOPEC for the Tianjin Nangang Ethylene Project.
INEOS Energy completes major acquisition of US onshore oil and gas assets from Chesapeake Energy.
INEOS Commits To Using 100% Renewable Energy At its Norwegian Plants
Our Phenol business completes the acquisition of Mitsui Phenols Singapore Ltd
A world first, Project Greensand, shows that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) can work after carbon dioxide (CO2) from Belgium is successfully captured, transported and stored under the Danish North Sea
Growth in China as INEOS and SINOPEC complete the formation of the SECCO 50:50 joint venture and the ABS 50:50 Joint Venture
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2022
We began construction of Europe’s most sustainable ethane cracker in Belgium - Project ONE.
INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA enter into a renewable power purchase agreement - The INEOS Hickerson Solar Farm will be a new 310-megawatt solar project located in north central Texas.
Our Energy business signs long-term sales and purchase agreement for 1.4mtpa LNG from Sempra Infrastructure at Port Arthur, USA
We launch a new Bio-Attributed Ethylene Oxide, Completely Substitutes Fossil Feedstock With Renewable Biomass
INEOS Oligomers starts up the world’s largest single train Low Viscosity Polyalphaolefin (LV PAO) plant at its Chocolate Bayou facility in Texas.
INEOS Phenol launches new lower carbon bio product line to be called INVIRIDIS for its phenol acetone and alphamethylstyrene business.
INEOS Nitriles to invest in new world scale Acetonitrile plant at its Köln facility to meet European demand
Our Grangemouth site announces plans to construct a Low-Carbon Hydrogen Manufacturing Plant
We signed a renewable power deal with Eneco which increases our Belgian offshore agreements to over 200MW and reduces CO2 emissions by nearly 3 million tonnes
Our WL Plastics business completes the acquisition of Charter Plastics’ Titusville, Pennsylvania Site
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2021
INEOS donates £100 Million to create new Oxford University Institute to fight Antimicrobial Resistance
Project Greensand to receive Danish Government funding of DKK 197 million (€26 million) for CO2 storage in the North Sea
INEOS FPS rolls out AI optimisation technology for lower emissions
INEOS green hydrogen project accelerates towards net-zero future in Germany by 2045
Our Energy busineness completes the acquisition of all oil and gas interests from HESS Corporation in Denmark
INEOS Energy sold its Norwegian oil and gas business to PGNiG for $615m
A first in Belgium: INEOS Phenol and ENGIE use hydrogen in industrial plant in Antwerp
INEOS completes the acquisition of BP’s global Aromatics & Acetyls business
INEOS Donates £100m to create a new Oxford University Institute to fight Antimicrobial Resistance.
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2020
INEOS and PLASTIC ENERGY to collaborate on advanced plastic recycling facility.
Two further Hand Sanitiser plants opened in US to support hospitals.
Third plant in France setup for Hand Sanitiser production, manufacturing 1 millions bottles per month
First and Second Hand Sanitiser plant opened after just 10 days.
INEOS becomes principle partner to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
Completes the acquisition of BP’s global Aromatics & Acetyls business
INEOS to become a one-third shareholder in Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team
INEOS announces its new INEOS Energy venture
INEOS Automotive confirms acquisition of Hambach production site from Mercedes-Benz
INEOS O&P USA announce the acquisition of Sasol’s Ownership of Gemini HDPE LLC
Launch of a new Clean Hydrogen Business to accelerate the drive to net zero carbon emissions
INEOS agrees to the largest ever industrial wind power purchase contract in Belgium with ENGIE
Launches INEOS Hygienics, a new global healthcare business
We revealed the design of the new Grenadier 4x4 to the world
Announced the acquisition of BPs petchem business. The "lock down deal" was all done virtually by Skype during COVID 19 restrictions
Announced our involvement via INOVYN in the Power to Methanol project in Antwerp
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2019
Mercedes-AMG Petronas comes on board with INEOS Team UK and Team INEOS in new performance partnership
Advanced polymer pilot plant opens in Rosignano, Italy
History is made: Eliud Kipchoge becomes first human to break the two-hour marathon in the INEOS’ 1:59 Challenge
INEOS Team UK launch Americas Cup Race boat 1 – “Britannia”
Acquires Ashland Composites business becoming INEOS Composites
Acquires French Ligue 1 Football club OGC Nice
$2 billion investment in Saudi Arabia with three world-scale plants announced
INEOS 1:59, the sub two-hour marathon Challenge is announced
INEOS acquires Cristal’s North American Titanium Dioxide business from Tronox for $700 million. Creates INEOS Pigments
Team Sky becomes Team INEOS. INEOS acquires Tour Racing Ltd from Sky and 21st Century Fox
INEOS Enterprises sells INEOS Melamines and INEOS Paraforms to Prefere Resins Holding GmbH
£1 billion investment in INEOS UK based businesses announced
€3 billion petrochemical investment in Antwerp announced
INEOS Oxide acquires Lavéra Ethoxylation Plant
Announcement of development of Infinia recycling technology, which could make PET plastic infinitely recyclable
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2018
Acquires the Flint Hills Intermediates business to be trade as INEOS Joliet
Acquires Ashland Composites Business for $1.1 billion
Celebrates its 20th anniversary with €200 million European investment in its Oxide business
Announces €2.7bn investment a new European cracker, the first in 20 years
Forms INEOS TEAM UK and invests £110m to challenge for the America’s Cup
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2017
Acquires clothing brand Belstaff
Acquires Swiss football club Lausanne Sport
Forms INEOS Automotive to develop 4x4 off-road vehicle
Buys Forties Pipeline System and Kinneil Terminal from BP
Acquires the entire oil and gas business from Dong Energy to become Top 10 oil and gas company in the North Sea
Upgrade of Aromatics PTA plant in Cooper River, South Carolina, increasing capacity and reducing emissions and energy use
Acetyls announces investment in Tricoya® wood acetylation, which protects wood from rot and reduces its tendency to swell and shrink
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2016
Buys Solvay’s stake in INOVYN
Moves headquarters back to the UK
First shipment of ethane from US to Europe using purpose-built vessels – part of a 1$bn project
PTAir launches, offering customers in the polyester value chain the opportunity to purchase a lower carbon feedstock
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2015
Buys North Sea gas fields from DEA
First two Dragon ships named
Forms the INOVYN 50/50 JV with Solvay
Acquires further shale gas licenses
Upgrade of Aromatics PTA plant in Geel, Belgium, increasing capacity and reducing emissions and energy use
Introduced latest generation PTA technology in Aromatics facility in Zhuhai, China, which reduces emissions and both liquid and solid waste
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2014
Ground Breaking HDPE JV plant with Sasol
Acquires Grangemouth power plant from Fortum
Completes purchase of BASF share of Styrolution
Acquires first UK shale gas licenses
Acquires Sasol Solvents Germany GmbH
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2013
Agrees to create a world-class PVC producer with Solvay
First ethane Dragon ships ordered
Rafnes tank approved
U.S. ethane contracts signed
Project Mariner
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2012
INEOS Technologies and Accsys Technologies form a 50/50 joint venture to develop and commercialise Tricoya® technology and materials
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2011
Kerling acquire Tessenderlo's European Chlor-Vinyls Business
INEOS and BASF form Styrolution, a new global styrenics joint venture
INEOS Bio joint venture breaks ground on the first advanced waste-to-fuel commercial
refinery in the USAINEOS and Petrochina form trading and refining joint venture in Europe
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2010
INEOS divests its global films business to Bilcare
INEOS Oxide builds a one million tonne Ethylene Terminal at its Zwijndrecht Facility
INEOS moves its headquarters from the United Kingdom to Switzerland
INEOS Group divests INEOS Fluor to Mexichem Fluor S.A
INEOS brings together INEOS Norway and INEOS ChlorVinyls to create The Kerling Group as a European market leader in PVC and Chlor-Alkali
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2009
INEOS Nitriles make technological breakthrough to improve the global security of supply for Acetonitrile
INEOS Oligomers start up a new 'super flexible' technology innovation for its Linear Alpha Olefin (LAO) unit in Feluy, Belgium
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2008
INEOS Nitriles acquires Seal Sands Acrylonitrile site from BASF
The European Olefins and Polyolefins Business are combined to form INEOS Olefins &
Polymers, EuropeINEOS Silicas is sold to PQ
INEOS Enterprises acquires the VAM and Ethyl Acetate Business from BP
INEOS Bio formed
INEOS acquires Hydro Polymer and the remaining 50% share of the Noretyl Cracker from Norsk Hydro
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2007
An expanded INEOS Nova Styrenics joint venture launched
INEOS acquires 51% of ABS Business from Lanxess and forms INEOS ABS
INEOS acquires Borealis AS and 50% of Noretyl Cracker
INEOS Chlorvinyls completes sale of E-PVC Business to Vinnolit
INEOS Fluor agrees joint venture with Zhejiang Xing Teng Chemical Company Limited to produce HF
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2006
INEOS Enterprises acquires White Salt Business from Salt Union
INEOS Oxide acquires the EO/EG Business from BP in Köln
Creation of INEOS ChlorVinyls joint management board
INEOS restructures Innovene and forms INEOS Nitriles, INEOS Olefins, INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, INEOS Oligomers, INEOS Polyolefins, INEOS Refining and INEOS Technologies
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2005
INEOS acquires Innovene from BP, a 'transformational acquisition'
INEOS Phenol acquires the Chevron Phillips Cumene plant in Port Arthur
INEOS acquires BASF's US and Canadian Polystyrene Business and forms INEOS Styrenics
Nova Innovene Styrenics joint venture established
Innovene established as a BP subsidiary
INEOS acquires the former Amino Resins Business of UCB from CYTEC and forms INEOS Melamines
EVC becomes fully owned by INEOS and is renamed INEOS Vinyls
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2004
INEOS Enterprises acquires Sulphur Chemicals Business from Rhodia
Formation of INEOS Enterprises
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2003
INEOS acquires Methanova GmbH and forms INEOS Paraform
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2001
INEOS acquires Phenolchemie and forms INEOS Phenol
INEOS acquires a majority shareholding in EVC
INEOS acquires Dow Chemicals' global Ethanolamine and USA/Canadian Gas/Spec™ gas treating Amines businesses
INEOS acquires ICI KLEA and forms INEOS Fluor
INEOS acquires ICI Chlor-Chemicals and forms INEOS Chlor
INEOS acquires Crosfield and forms INEOS Silicas
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2000
Start up of Mobile Phenol plant in Alabama, USA
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1998
INEOS formed to acquire the former BP site at Antwerp from Inspec
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1995
Acetyls creates the Cativa process for manufacturing acetic acid, increasing energy efficiency and production
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1994
EVC floated on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange
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1993
KG Cracker commissioned at Grangemouth
Start up of Antwerp Phenol/Acetone plant
ICI and Teijin Limited joint venture to make KLEA™134A at Mihara, Japan
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1992
ICI open the world’s largest HFC 134A plant at St Gabriel, Louisiana and the world’s first HFC 32 plant in the UK
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1990
ICI commission the world's first HFC 134A plant
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1986
EVC formed through a 50/50 joint venture between ICI and Enichem
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1978
Antwerp site sold to BP Chemicals
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1975
First gas phase Polyethylene plant commissioned at Lavéra
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1969
First PTA plant in Geel, Belgium
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1967
Chocolate bayou site acquired by Amoco for Petrochemical manufacture
Our first PTA plant built in Decatur, USA
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1966
Union Carbide construct Ethylene Derivatives site at Antwerp
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1960
First commercialisation of Ammoxidation process for Acrylonitrile at Lima
Installation of two state-of-the-art Cell rooms at ICI Runcorn site for Chlorine and Caustic Soda production
Leadership in PTA technology starts when purification process invented and key patents filed by Amoco[1]
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1957
Start up of the Erdölchemie GmbH Petrochemical site at Köln, a 50/50 joint venture between BP and Bayer
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1956
HDPE production started at Rosignano
Start up of Bayer ABS Business
Amoco acquires the mid-century technology for purified terephthalic acid (PTA)
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1954
Start up of Gladbeck Phenol/Acetone plant in Germany
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1953
First Naphtha Cracker started in Lavéra
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1949
Start up of the Lavéra, France Petrochemicals facility
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1933
1933 - Lavéra, France Oil Refinery starts production
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1924
Grangemouth, UK Oil Refinery starts production
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1895
First production of Formaldehyde in Mainz, Germany
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1890
Castner Kellner Alkali Co. Lts started production of Caustic Soda at Runcorn, UK