Technip Energies, Alterra, and Neste Launch Nerea for Chemical Recycling of Plastics
Technip Energies, Alterra, and Neste announced on Monday the commercial launch of Nerea, a standardized offering designed to accelerate chemical recycling projects for plastic waste. This solution combines Alterra's thermochemical liquefaction technology, Neste's expertise in chemical recycling, and Technip Energies' engineering capabilities.
An Offering Designed to Address the Growth of Plastic Waste
Global plastic production has nearly doubled over the past two decades, reaching about 431 million tonnes in 2024. In response to this increase, circularity rates remain low: a significant portion of plastic waste continues to be incinerated, landfilled, or discarded into the environment. Regulatory developments, particularly in Europe, are simultaneously boosting the demand for recycled raw materials. Nerea meets this challenge by leveraging the collaboration agreement signed by the three partners in November 2024. The solution brings together Alterra's thermochemical liquefaction technology, Neste's expertise in chemical recycling, and Technip Energies' capabilities in engineering, project execution, and modularization.
A Proven Technology at Commercial Scale
Alterra's technology, which underpins Nerea, has been operating continuously for over five years at a commercial scale on actual streams of plastic waste. Being standardized and modular, it reduces the initial investment and complexity of projects, while providing better visibility on costs and timelines. Designed for rapid deployment in various industrial environments, the Nerea plant transforms heterogeneous and difficult-to-recycle plastic waste into high-quality raw material for the petrochemical industry. This standardized approach contrasts with previous solutions based on custom engineering.
The Benefits of the Partnership According to the Three Players
Julie Cranga, SVP of the Carbon Capture and Circularity product line at Technip Energies, emphasizes that the offering 'brings together proven technology, expertise in raw materials, and industrial execution capacity.' Fred Schmuck, CEO of Alterra, notes that the partnership 'reduces the barriers that have long hindered the growth of chemical recycling.' Lars Peter Lindfors, Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Neste, points out that the valorization unit commissioned by the company at its Porvoo refinery in Finland is the world's largest in terms of capacity, and that it has the expertise to transform low-quality raw materials into high-quality solutions.
