INEOS Converts Hull Chemical Plant to Hydrogen Cutting Emissions by 75 Percent

Chemical company INEOS has completed a £30 million ($40.4 million) investment at its Hull manufacturing site in the UK, converting the facility from natural gas to hydrogen, resulting in a 75 per cent reduction in carbon emissions. The Hull site is Europe's largest producer of acetic acid, acetic anhydride, and ethyl acetate.

The hydrogen now used at the Hull site is produced as a co-product from existing manufacturing processes on-site, avoiding the need to source externally generated hydrogen. INEOS said the model is replicable across the broader chemical industry. The investment forms part of the company's wider strategy to decarbonise operations across its UK and European sites, and sits within a company-wide commitment to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Acetic acid and its derivatives are used across a wide range of products including food preservatives, pharmaceuticals, textiles, paints, and packaging. Decarbonising production at a site of this scale and industrial significance reduces lifecycle emissions embedded in those supply chains, helping downstream manufacturers address their own Scope 3 reporting obligations under emerging regulations such as the CSRD.

Hydrogen conversion for high-temperature industrial processes remains one of the more challenging aspects of hard-to-abate sector decarbonisation, where electrification is often impractical. INEOS frames the Hull project as evidence that chemical manufacturing can transition to lower-carbon energy without relocating production. The company said several additional decarbonisation projects are underway across its European sites, though no timeline or cost breakdown was provided.

Key figure — 75% reduction in carbon emissions