Technip Energies, Alterra, and Neste announced the commercial launch of Nerea, a modular and standardized industrial solution designed to accelerate chemical plastic recycling projects. The solution aims to facilitate the transition from custom-engineered designs to a replicable model, offering greater predictability in costs, timelines, and operations.
The initiative is aimed at waste management operators, project developers, refineries, and petrochemical companies interested in scaling up circular plastic production. Furthermore, it comes at a time when the industry is seeking alternatives to valorize heterogeneous and difficult-to-recycle plastic waste through processes capable of converting it into new raw materials.
A modular solution for complex plastic waste
Currently, global plastic production has almost doubled in the last two decades and reached nearly 431 million tons in 2024. However, circularity rates are advancing at a slower pace than consumption, so large volumes of waste continue to end up in incinerators, landfills or the environment.
In this context, Nerea proposes a standardized plant to transform complex plastic waste into high-quality raw materials for the petrochemical industry. Its modular design aims to reduce initial technical complexity and improve operational certainty in diverse industrial environments.
Alterra’s technology and Neste’s industrial expertise
The solution combines Alterra’s thermochemical liquefaction technology, Neste’s expertise in chemical recycling, and Technip Energies’ capabilities in engineering, modularization, and project delivery. This integration stems from the collaboration agreement signed by the three companies in November 2024.
Alterra’s technology has over five years of continuous commercial operation processing real-world streams of plastic waste. This is a crucial point for an industry that needs proven solutions before investing in larger-scale assets.
Less uncertainty for circular plastic projects
Furthermore, Nerea aims to reduce common barriers in chemical recycling, such as high upfront investment, custom engineering, and timeline uncertainty. By offering a standardized model, companies hope to facilitate investment decisions and accelerate the development of new capabilities.
Julie Cranga of Technip Energies highlighted that Nerea combines proven technology, raw material expertise, and industrial delivery into an offering ready for scaling. Fred Schmuck, CEO of Alterra, noted that the model aims to facilitate the industrial implementation of circular solutions. Lars Peter Lindfors of Neste emphasized the importance of robust technologies to meet the growing demand for liquefied waste plastic.
With this launch, Technip Energies, Alterra and Neste reinforce their commitment to the chemical recycling of plastics as a way to produce circular raw materials and reduce dependence on virgin fossil materials in new plastic applications.
Source and photo: Investors.technipenergies
