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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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  1. 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.

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 2021

    INEOS donates £100 Million to create new Oxford University Institute to fight Antimicrobial Resistance

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    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. 

  5. 2020

    INEOS and PLASTIC ENERGY to collaborate on advanced plastic recycling facility.

    Two further Hand Sanitiser plants opened in US to support hospitals.

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    Third plant in France setup for Hand Sanitiser production, manufacturing 1 millions bottles per month

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    First and Second Hand Sanitiser plant opened after just 10 days.

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    INEOS becomes principle partner to Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.

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    Completes the acquisition of BP’s global Aromatics & Acetyls business

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    INEOS to become a one-third shareholder in Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team

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    INEOS announces its new INEOS Energy venture

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    INEOS Automotive confirms acquisition of Hambach production site from Mercedes-Benz

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    INEOS O&P USA announce the acquisition of Sasol’s Ownership of Gemini HDPE LLC

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    Launch of a new Clean Hydrogen Business to accelerate the drive to net zero carbon emissions

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    INEOS agrees to the largest ever industrial wind power purchase contract in Belgium with ENGIE

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    Launches INEOS Hygienics, a new global healthcare business

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    We revealed the design of the new Grenadier 4x4 to the world

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    Announced the acquisition of BPs petchem business. The "lock down deal" was all done virtually by Skype during COVID 19 restrictions

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    Announced our involvement via INOVYN in the Power to Methanol project in Antwerp

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  6. 2019

    Mercedes-AMG Petronas comes on board with INEOS Team UK and Team INEOS in new performance partnership

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    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”

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    Acquires Ashland Composites business becoming INEOS Composites

    Acquires French Ligue 1 Football club OGC Nice

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    $2 billion investment in Saudi Arabia with three world-scale plants announced

    INEOS 1:59, the sub two-hour marathon Challenge is announced

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    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

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    £1 billion investment in INEOS UK based businesses announced

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    €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

  7. 2018

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    Acquires the Flint Hills Intermediates business to be trade as INEOS Joliet

    Acquires Ashland Composites Business for $1.1 billion

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    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

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    Forms INEOS TEAM UK and invests £110m to challenge for the America’s Cup

  8. 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

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    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

  9. 2016

    Buys Solvay’s stake in INOVYN

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    Moves headquarters back to the UK

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    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

  10. 2015

    Buys North Sea gas fields from DEA

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    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

  11. 2014

    Ground Breaking HDPE JV plant with Sasol 

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    Acquires Grangemouth power plant from Fortum

    Completes purchase of BASF share of Styrolution

    Acquires first UK shale gas licenses

    Acquires Sasol Solvents Germany GmbH

  12. 2013

    Agrees to create a world-class PVC producer with Solvay

    First ethane Dragon ships ordered

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    Rafnes tank approved

    U.S. ethane contracts signed 

    Project Mariner

  13. 2012

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    INEOS Technologies and Accsys Technologies form a 50/50 joint venture to develop and commercialise Tricoya® technology and materials

  14. 2011

    Kerling acquire Tessenderlo's European Chlor-Vinyls Business

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    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 USA

    INEOS and Petrochina form trading and refining joint venture in Europe

  15. 2010

    INEOS divests its global films business to Bilcare

    INEOS Oxide builds a one million tonne Ethylene Terminal at its Zwijndrecht Facility

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    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

  16. 2009

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    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

  17. 2008

    INEOS Nitriles acquires Seal Sands Acrylonitrile site from BASF

    The European Olefins and Polyolefins Business are combined to form INEOS Olefins &
    Polymers, Europe

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    INEOS 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

  18. 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

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    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

  19. 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

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    INEOS restructures Innovene and forms INEOS Nitriles, INEOS Olefins, INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA, INEOS Oligomers, INEOS Polyolefins, INEOS Refining and INEOS Technologies

  20. 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

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    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

  21. 2004

    INEOS Enterprises acquires Sulphur Chemicals Business from Rhodia

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    Formation of INEOS Enterprises

  22. 2003

    INEOS acquires Methanova GmbH and forms INEOS Paraform

  23. 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

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    INEOS acquires Crosfield and forms INEOS Silicas

  24. 2000

    Start up of Mobile Phenol plant in Alabama, USA

  25. 1998

    INEOS formed to acquire the former BP site at Antwerp from Inspec

  26. 1995

    Acetyls creates the Cativa process for manufacturing acetic acid, increasing energy efficiency and production

  27. 1994

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    EVC floated on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange

  28. 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

  29. 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

  30. 1990

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    ICI commission the world's first HFC 134A plant

  31. 1986

    EVC formed through a 50/50 joint venture between ICI and Enichem

  32. 1978

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    Antwerp site sold to BP Chemicals

  33. 1975

    First gas phase Polyethylene plant commissioned at Lavéra

  34. 1969

    First PTA plant in Geel, Belgium

  35. 1967

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    Chocolate bayou site acquired by Amoco for Petrochemical manufacture

    Our first PTA plant built in Decatur, USA

  36. 1966

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    Union Carbide construct Ethylene Derivatives site at Antwerp

  37. 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]

  38. 1957

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    Start up of the Erdölchemie GmbH Petrochemical site at Köln, a 50/50 joint venture between BP and Bayer

  39. 1956

    HDPE production started at Rosignano

    Start up of Bayer ABS Business

    Amoco acquires the mid-century technology for purified terephthalic acid (PTA)

  40. 1954

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    Start up of Gladbeck Phenol/Acetone plant in Germany

  41. 1953

    First Naphtha Cracker started in Lavéra

  42. 1949

    Start up of the Lavéra, France Petrochemicals facility

  43. 1933

    1933 - Lavéra, France Oil Refinery starts production

  44. 1924

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    Grangemouth, UK Oil Refinery starts production

  45. 1895

    First production of Formaldehyde in Mainz, Germany

  46. 1890

    Castner Kellner Alkali Co. Lts started production of Caustic Soda at Runcorn, UK