Avantium’s new FDCA Flagship Plant in Delfzijl is 26 million euros more expensive than previously expected. This increase is mainly due to additional materials needed related to the FDCA plant’s electricity and instrumentation, as well as additional labor required to complete the plant. The plant – which will begin operations in the fourth quarter – will produce raw materials for plant-based plastics on a large scale. The total investment is now estimated at 175 million euros, the company announced when presenting its half-year results.
Avantium went down about 10 percent on the Amsterdam stock exchange after the news Wednesday. Tom van Aken, Chief Executive Officer of Avantium, said: ‘We see the start-up of the Flagship Plant as the most important milestone in the company’s history because it will be the world’s first FDCA plant and it will enable the commercial launch of PEF, our 100% renewable and circular plastic material.’
Renewable polymers
The critical mechanical systems of the new Delfzijl plant have now been successfully installed, such as the Sugar Dehydration unit. Electrical and instrumentation work for the Oxidation and Purification units is nearing completion. The offices and analytical laboratory have also been built and furnished.
Recruitment of personnel for the FDCA Flagship Plant will be completed in the first half of 2024. The construction team transferred several FDCA Flagship Plant systems to the Avantium FDCA Flagship Plant operations team. Together with engineering partner Worley and several subcontractors, Avantium has executed the construction in a safe manner: to date, more than 800,000 man-hours have been performed with no “Lost Time Incidents,” which represents a period of time during which no work-related incidents or injuries occurred that resulted in lost work time.
In July 2024, Avantium entered into a strategic partnership with textile innovators Auping, Monosuisse and Antex, with the aim of developing PEF-based yarns for circular mattresses for Auping.
From a regulatory perspective, authorities in China approved the chemical registration for FDCA in May 2024, meaning FDCA can now be exported to this country in larger volumes. Avantium already has FDCA and PEF approvals in Europe, the U.S., South Korea and Japan. Small-volume shipments of FDCA or PEF to other regions are also possible, as most countries have instituted small-volume exemptions or reduced registration requirements for these shipments. ‘Registration of FDCA and PEF in other regions of interest is an ongoing activity at Avantium to ensure globalization of the products,’ the company reports.
