TotalEnergies Reinforces Its Commitment to Decarbonization and Market Adaptability with Strategic Reconfiguration of Antwerp Platform
TotalEnergies has announced a significant transformation plan for its Antwerp platform, reaffirming the site’s strategic importance in the company’s European operations. This announcement marks a pivotal step in aligning the longstanding industrial site with TotalEnergies’ broader energy transition goals, while simultaneously enhancing its resilience and market adaptability in a fast-evolving global energy landscape.
A Cornerstone of European Operations
With a legacy that spans over 75 years, the Antwerp platform is one of TotalEnergies’ most crucial industrial assets in Europe. Strategically located and based on a highly integrated business model, the platform combines refining and petrochemical operations in a synergistic ecosystem. This integrated approach enables the site to achieve economies of scale, operational efficiency, and flexibility—core advantages that support its long-term sustainability.
Ann Veraverbeke, Managing Director of TotalEnergies Antwerp, emphasized the strategic nature of the investments being made, noting:
“By adapting and investing regularly in our Antwerp site, we’re securing its long-term future and ensuring that this integrated refining and petrochemicals platform remains TotalEnergies’ most efficient in Europe. Whether the aim is to meet market challenges or contribute to decarbonization and the energy transition, the platform can be reconfigured so that it remains competitive and continues to provide jobs well into the future.”
Accelerating the Platform’s Decarbonization Trajectory
A central element of the Antwerp platform’s evolution lies in its embrace of decarbonization technologies. One of the most transformative projects involves the use of green hydrogen—an emerging cornerstone of carbon-free industrial energy. Through a strategic partnership with Air Liquide, TotalEnergies is contributing to a 200 MW electrolyzer project that will use renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen.
TotalEnergies has secured a tolling agreement for 130 MW of this capacity, which is expected to yield approximately 15,000 tons of green hydrogen annually for use at the Antwerp facility. This green electricity will be supplied from the OranjeWind offshore wind farm, a key renewable project in TotalEnergies’ European portfolio.
Once fully operational in 2027, the green hydrogen project is expected to reduce the Antwerp site’s CO₂ emissions by up to 150,000 tons annually. This initiative will not only contribute to TotalEnergies’ internal decarbonization targets but will also support European Union goals under the Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III), especially in decarbonizing the transport sector.
Supporting the Aviation Sector with Sustainable Fuel
TotalEnergies is also responding to growing demand from the aviation sector for low-carbon fuel alternatives. The company has launched an initiative to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at the Antwerp site. The initial project will leverage a coprocessing method—allowing renewable feedstocks to be processed alongside traditional hydrocarbons using existing refinery infrastructure.
Scheduled to begin production in 2025, the SAF project will produce 50,000 tons annually. This effort will support the aviation industry in meeting its emissions reduction goals while further embedding Antwerp in the sustainable mobility value chain.
Electrification and Energy Storage for Grid Stability
The Antwerp platform is not only greening its fuel production but also electrifying its own industrial processes. This shift is vital for reducing the site’s overall carbon footprint and aligns with the broader trend of electrification in energy-intensive industries. Complementing these efforts is the installation of an advanced battery energy storage system—TotalEnergies’ largest in Europe.
Commissioned in the previous year, this system has a power rating of 25 MW and a storage capacity of 75 MWh. The storage unit plays a critical role in helping Belgium and the broader European electricity grid integrate more renewable energy by balancing supply and demand. This capability is particularly important given the variable nature of wind and solar power.
Addressing Structural Challenges in the Petrochemical Sector
While TotalEnergies continues to invest in innovative and sustainable solutions, it is also taking pragmatic steps to respond to structural challenges within the petrochemicals market. Europe is currently facing a significant overcapacity in ethylene production, driven by a range of macroeconomic factors and shifting global demand patterns.
In response, TotalEnergies has announced its intention to cease operations of its oldest steam cracker at the Antwerp site by the end of 2027. This unit had historically relied on a key contract with an external ethylene customer, who recently chose not to renew the agreement. Without this outlet, the standalone unit—unintegrated into TotalEnergies’ downstream operations—has become economically unviable.
Rather than maintain underutilized infrastructure, the company will reconfigure its operations to concentrate on its newer and more efficient steam cracker. This modern unit is fully integrated with downstream production facilities in both Antwerp and Feluy, ensuring optimal material flow and maximizing value creation within the company’s own industrial system.
Prioritizing Employee Wellbeing Amid Operational Change
In line with its commitment to corporate responsibility and social dialogue, TotalEnergies has confirmed that the reconfiguration of the Antwerp platform will be carried out without any layoffs. The 253 employees currently working at the older steam cracker unit will all be offered tailored solutions.
Depending on individual circumstances, these options may include retirement packages or internal transfers to other roles within the Antwerp site. This people-centered approach highlights the company’s efforts to balance industrial transformation with workforce stability and social responsibility.
The proposed changes will be subject to a formal employee consultation and notification process, as required under Belgian labor law. This process will begin in late April and will involve close collaboration with employee representatives to ensure transparency and fair outcomes.
A Platform Prepared for the Future
The evolution of the Antwerp platform underscores TotalEnergies’ dual commitment to operational excellence and environmental stewardship. By investing in decarbonization technologies such as green hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuels, and by optimizing its petrochemical operations to meet new market realities, the company is positioning Antwerp as a model for industrial transformation.
These actions are not just about compliance or cost efficiency—they are about ensuring that the platform continues to be a hub of innovation, employment, and sustainability for decades to come. Through foresight and responsible leadership, TotalEnergies is not only securing the future of its Antwerp site but also contributing meaningfully to the broader transition toward a more sustainable global energy system.
