Avantium takes a positive FID on the construction of its FDCA Flagship Plant

Avantium takes a pivotal step for the further development and commercialisation of its sustainable PEF plastic. The biobased chemical company aspects the construction of the Flagship Plant to be completed by the end of 2023 in Groningen (the Netherlands).

Avantium announces that it has taken a positive Final Investment Decision (FID) on the construction of its FDCA Flagship Plant. The positive FID was taken after the Company fulfilled all three Key Conditions it had defined. Which include securing sufficient financing, finalising the engineering and establishing the supply chain, and obtaining sufficient offtake commitments for the Flagship Plant. With the recent signing of a €90 million committed debt financing term sheet, the final outstanding financing condition has now been met.

Polyethylene furanoate

Reaching this milestone marks a defining moment in the evolution of Avantium and will accelerate the commercialisation of polyethylene furanoate (PEF). Avantium’s FDCA Flagship Plant will be the world’s first factory to produce furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) on a commercial scale, with a capacity of 5 kiloton per annum. FDCA is the key building block of the 100% plant-based, recyclable plastic material PEF which also has functional advantages compared with fossil fuel derived plastics. Avantium believes that the Flagship Plant, in addition to generating revenues and profits in its own right, will clearly demonstrate the viability of large-scale manufacturing of PEF to consumers, customers and partners. This should pave the way to dramatically expand the applications of PEF, with a potential total end-market of $200 billion per year, which Avantium intends to access by the provision of technology licenses to collaborators worldwide.