BIOMASS INVESTMENT BOOSTS SUSTAINABILITY OF INEOS AUTOMOTIVE’S HAMBACH FACTORY
- Sophisticated 9.2 MW biomass plant to supply 78% of production site's heating
- Annual consumption of woodchips will be locally and sustainably sourced
- Switching to biomass for heating estimated to cut 8,800 tonnes of CO2 from Hambach's emissions per year
- Investment in Hambach now stands at nearly €540m since 2019
Hambach, 20 March 2025 – INEOS Automotive has opened a cutting-edge €15m biomass heat plant at its Hambach production and assembly site. With a 9.2 megawatt output, the plant will consume up to 14,000 tonnes of locally- and sustainably-sourced woodchips per year, to supply 78% of the facility’s heating requirements.
More than half a billion euros has been invested in Hambach since 2019. Key upgrades over the last five years include a new fully-automated bodyshop, semi-automated paintshop, quality inspection laboratory, and a wading pool for water ingress testing. With this, the plant’s usable footprint has grown by over 60% to a total of 210,000 m², resulting in a significant increase in heating requirements.
The new biomass plant features two boilers with joint thermal outputs of 8.4 MW connected to an 800 KW heat pump. It will supply over three-quarters of the site’s heating needs, with the existing gas boiler providing the balance. The switch to biomass is expected to cut around 8,800 tonnes of CO2 per year from the site’s emissions. Waste ash is then recycled via the local agriculture industry - its high nitrate content making for an enriched fertiliser.
“Our ongoing investment in Hambach means our Grenadier and Quartermaster models are built to world-class quality standards, and in an environmentally sustainable factory, for export to over 50 sales markets around the world. We’re very proud of the advanced facilities and its exceptional workforce, which together make it one of the most advanced automotive production sites in Europe.”
Lynn Calder - CEO INEOS Automotive
“The new biomass plant is the latest in a longstanding and ongoing programme of sustainability-driven initiatives at Hambach. It was critical for us to increase our sustainable energy capacity to meet our growing consumption as the site expands.”
Philippe Steyer - President INEOS Automotive SAS
Fortifying Hambach’s longstanding sustainability track record, the Hambach Energy Transition project marks another huge investment in the site. It was supported by France’s ADEME (Agency for Environment & Energy Management) with a €3.9m grant under Heat Fund assistance & PNCEE (Pôle national des certificats d'économies d'énergie). It is also assisted by an agreement between INEOS Automotive and Dalkia, which is providing a grant of up to €1.5m.
-Ends-
INEOS Automotive contact details:
Sarah Pelling
Head of PR
INEOS Automotive
+44 (0) 7887 451773
sarah.pelling@ineos.com
Viktoria Kirkova-Fane
PR Manager
viktoria.kirkova@ineos.com
+44 (0) 7733 150 023
Tom Waugh
Senior PR Officer
tom.waugh@ineos.com
+44 (0) 7776 454 747
Peter Skilton
Senior PR Officer – Product Communications
peter.skilton@ineos.com
+44 (0) 7787 553 395
About INEOS Grenadier
In 2017, INEOS Chairman Jim Ratcliffe, a car enthusiast and experienced adventurer, identified a gap in the market for an uncompromising 4X4 engineered for modern day compliance and reliability. INEOS Automotive Limited was formed and a senior team of automotive professionals assembled to bring the vision to reality with a fresh perspective of 4X4 development and manufacturing.
In 2022 the INEOS Grenadier was launched: a truly global 4X4 built from the ground up that combines rugged British spirit and design with German engineering rigour. The Grenadier provides best-in-class off-road capability, durability, and reliability with the modern comfort and refinement customers expect wherever they are in the world. In 2023 a double-cab pick-up variant of the Grenadier was launched called the Quartermaster, and in February 2024 a third vehicle line called the INEOS Fusilier was unveiled which will offer two powertrain options to meet global consumer needs: an all-electric and a range-extender electric.
INEOS Automotive is a subsidiary of INEOS, a leading manufacturer of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and oil products. It employs 26,000 people across 36 businesses, with a production network spanning 194 sites in 29 countries. From paints to plastics, textiles to technology, medicines to mobile phones, materials manufactured by INEOS enhance almost every aspect of modern life. In 2021, INEOS had sales of $65bn.
