The Flemish authorities’ fresh approval of petrochemicals giant Ineos’s plastics plant project in the Port of Antwerp, Belgium is being challenged by 13 NGOs.

This latest approval from the Flemish authorities gives the green light to Ineos’s fresh permit for ‘Project One’. The project has been challenged at each stage of its approval process, with the alliance of NGOs repeatedly stating that it fails to meet the legal requirements and should not be approved.

The planned plastics installation – known as “Project One” – was originally set to comprise two new plants: an ethane cracker, which converts ethane to ethylene, and a plant that converts propane to propylene. Ethylene and propylene are both raw materials for making plastics. In January, Ineos announced it would indefinitely suspend plans for the propane part of the expansion. Ineos’ most recent Ineos Holding Group financial statements state that this cancellation has already cost Ineos €118,5 million.