Versalis, Eni, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Venice, and the trade union organizations Filctem Cgil, Femca Cisl, Uiltec Uil have signed the Memorandum of Understanding for Porto Marghera. The agreement leads to the technological transformation of the Venetian industrial hub and guarantees a sustainable future for the site.
The Memorandum of Understanding guarantees employment in line with the new industrial set-up and enhances the contributions of the entrepreneurial activities present in the area in the associated sector.
The key points of the agreement are:
· guaranteed employment in line with the new industrial set-up
· valorisation of the contributions of the entrepreneurial activities present in the area in the ambit of related industries
· transformation of Porto Marghera into an integrated technological hub of chemistry from renewable sources, a sector with greater added value that has high growth prospects and capable of guaranteeing the site long-term economic sustainability
· construction of two new plants – respectively for the separation and selective hydrogenation for the complete valorisation of the co-products of metathesis – in addition to the plant that uses the metathesis process of vegetable oils (ref. partnership with Elevance Renewable Sciences) The new plants will produce specialty products for oil drilling applications, along with other products aimed at high value-added market segments such as detergents and bio-lubricants
· the new Porto Marghera pole will become the nerve center for the technological-engineering development activities of the new plants
· total investment of around 200 million euros and start-up of new productions in around three years
· definitive shutdown of the Cracking plant, for which safety operations will be carried out. The Aromatics plant will be kept in a conservative order, with the possibility of operation according to specific market requests.
logistics will be consolidated to guarantee the regular supply of feedstock and products to the plants in Ferrara, Mantua and Ravenna and integrated for activities related to new productions
· ensures collaboration with the bodies and institutions in charge of simplifying administrative procedures and compliance with the minimum procedural times dictated by the law in carrying out the authorization procedures.
The petrochemical market
The Porto Marghera transformation project is made necessary by the persistence of unfavorable market conditions affecting European production – mainly made up of commodities – penalized by high energy costs and by the exacerbation of international competition.
Versalis strategy
Versalis focuses on technological innovation and the development of new products in the "specialty" segment. The transformation project of the Porto Marghera site envisages in particular the development of an integrated technological pole of chemistry from renewable sources, a sector with greater added value which has high growth prospects and capable of guaranteeing long-term economic sustainability for the site.
The green chemistry
For Versalis, green chemistry represents a business opportunity with high growth prospects, complementary to that of traditional chemistry. Versalis wants to be among the protagonists of this growth and green chemistry has made it one of the pillars of its strategy. In particular, this sector represents the way for a more decisive orientation towards technologies which are the basis of a new model of economic development freed from the market pressures typical of the petrochemical industry, in particular, the European one, and which are above all capable of strengthening the competitiveness and leadership of our company. This business model takes into account the environmental sustainability of the entire production cycle in terms of use of renewable resources, reduction of CO2 emissions and efficiency
The value of partnerships. Versalis projects in green chemistry
A strong growth accelerator in green chemistry is represented by partnerships, capable of uniting and making skills and synergies complementary to each other and allowing the acquisition of leadership positions on the market, fundamental for business consolidation. In Versalis' experience, there are three areas necessary for the development of this trend: chemical, biotechnological and agronomic.
Versalis is present with:
· Matrìca, JV with Novamont, for the construction of an integrated green chemistry complex in Porto Torres
· Genomatics for the production of bio-butadiene
· Yulex for the production of natural rubber from guayule
· Pirelli for a research project on the use of natural rubber from guayule in the production of tyres
· Elevance Renewable Sciences for vegetable oil production in Porto Marghera
· Solazyme to produce and market the first commercially available encapsulated biodegradable lubricant for oil drilling fluids.
