Groenere chemie: hoe Moerdijk antwoorden blijft vinden
Hoe maak je een omvangrijk chemiecomplex duurzamer? Op Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk worden er sinds 2019 antwoorden gevonden op lastige vragen. Het laatste wapenfeit: de vervanging van twee aardgasgestookte stoomturbines door twee gloednieuwe elektromotoren. Resultaat: naar verwachting 10% minder CO2-uitstoot. Maar, er is meer.
Tekst: Marcel Burger. Beeld: Ernst Bode.
In dit verhaal
“Wat begon als een goed idee, groeide anderhalf jaar geleden uit tot een investeringsbeslissing in het zogenoemde e-drives-project én is nu realiteit”, zegt Antoinet van Schaijk, de directeur van Shell in Moerdijk. Eind maart werd de laatste van twee aardgasaangedreven stoomturbines vervangen door een elektromotor en die is inmiddels ook succesvol opgestart. “Een concreet voorbeeld van de energietransitie in uitvoering.”
Volgens de bedenkers van het plan zijn de voordelen van de elektromotoren aanzienlijk: 230 kiloton (10%) minder CO2-uitstoot per jaar, minder geluidsoverlast en minder restwarmteverlies. Alleen al het verkleinen van de uitstoot van broeikasgassen staat gelijk aan het weghalen van 50.000 benzineauto’s van de Nederlandse wegen.
Turnaround Moerdijk in beeld
Vandaag en morgen
Van Schaijk: “Het elektrificeren van onze installaties is een prachtvoorbeeld van hoe we steeds duurzamer basischemicaliën kunnen produceren. Voor waar de maatschappij vandaag en morgen om vraagt.”
Want, je kunt het zo gek niet bedenken of er zit wel een door Moerdijk gemaakt component in je alledaagse product. Het plastic zakje om je worteltjes bijvoorbeeld, of het bakje dat je avondeten beschermt totdat het in de pan of magnetron gaat. Of de zolen van je sneakers waarop je naar de supermarkt bent gelopen. Of de windturbines op zee die zorgen dat jij voldoende stroom hebt, om het boodschappenlijstje op je mobiel te lezen. En de zeep waarmee je je handen wast voordat je gaat koken.
De reis begon in 2019
Met het plaatsen van de nieuwe elektromotoren zet Moerdijk de reis voort die zeven jaar geleden begon. Want op 14 maart 2019 opende Shell in Moerdijk haar eerste zonnepark van Nederland. Dat was toen, met 76.000 panelen en een piekcapaciteit van 27 megawatt, gelijk één van de grootste van het land. Zonnepark Moerdijk voorziet nog altijd in een klein deel (bij opening 5%) van de stroombehoefte van het complex.
Sindsdien zijn er nog veel meer en grotere zonneparken in Nederland gebouwd, waaronder vijf van Shell. Het energieconcern bleef miljarden investeren in de energietransitie. Anno 2026 is Shells vijfde Nederlandse windpark — en het vierde op zee — in aanbouw, de groene waterstoffabriek Holland Hydrogen 1 is bijna af en er komen steeds meer Shell Recharge-laadpalen voor wie elektrisch rijdt. Shell Energy helpt samen met Shell Trading bedrijven in Nederland met het verduurzamen van hun energiegebruik en Shell Biogas heeft plannen om samen met boeren een aardgasvervanger te gaan maken.
Antoinet van Schaijk, directeur Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk"Elektrificeren van onze installaties is een prachtvoorbeeld van duurzamer produceren"
Fornuizen en circulair plastic
Ook op Moerdijk zat Shell niet stil. Daar werd recent de vervanging van zestien oude fornuizen door acht energiezuinigere varianten afgerond. Dat gebeurt in de grootste fabriek op het terrein. Deze vernieuwing zorgt voor nog eens 10% minder CO2-uitstoot. Ofwel, opnieuw 50.000 auto’s minder op de weg.
De fabriek in kwestie heet Moerdijk Lower Olefins (MLO) en is een zogenaamde kraker. Het knipt en scheidt grotere en kleinere molecuulketens van elkaar, om van de kleinere delen nieuwe basischemicaliën voor alledaagse producten te maken. Met het vernieuwen van de fornuizen nam het aantal schoorstenen af van tien naar zes. Vandaar dat het project de naam Skyline meekreeg.
Even zo innovatief is Moerdijk’s oplossing om het hoofd te bieden aan de groeiende plastic afvalberg van alle Nederlanders. Op 8 november 2024 werd daarvoor een nieuwe fabriek opgestart, die het mogelijk maakt om moeilijk te recyclen plastic afval toch her te gebruiken. Deze fabriek heet Market Development Upgrader (MDU) en verwerkt de olie die wordt gewonnen uit het plastic afval van zo’n 2,5 miljoen Nederlanders.
Het volgende slimme idee?
Zo vindt Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk steeds weer nieuwe antwoorden op lastige vragen. Met binnenkort dus een totale CO2-uitstootreductie van zo’n 20% en plastic recycling is de verbeterslag niet voorbij. Want met 850 medewerkers is er altijd wel iemand bij Shell in Moerdijk die op het volgende slimme idee komt om zaken net wat efficiënter, energiezuiniger, veiliger of duurzamer te maken.
Cautionary note
Cautionary note
The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
Forward-Looking statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; “aspire”, “aspiration”, ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; “desire”; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; “vision”; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks, including climate change; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including tariffs and regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East, and a significant cyber security, data privacy or IT incident; (n) the pace of the energy transition; and (o) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, June 2, 2026. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.
Shell’s net carbon intensity
Also, in this announcement we may refer to Shell’s “net carbon intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “net carbon intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.
Shell’s net-zero emissions target
Shell’s operating plan and outlook are forecasted for a three-year period and ten-year period, respectively, and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next three and ten years. Accordingly, the outlook reflects our combined Scope 1 and 2 target, NCI target and our oil products ambition over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plan and outlook cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is outside our planning period. Such future operating plans and outlooks could include changes to our portfolio, efficiency improvements and the use of carbon capture and storage and carbon credits. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans and outlooks to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.
Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures
This announcement may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.
The contents of websites referred to in this announcement do not form part of this announcement.
We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.
Meer weten over Moerdijk?
More sustainable chemicals: how Shell at Moerdijk keeps finding the answers
2 June 2026
How to make a large-scale chemical complex more sustainable? At Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk, the Netherlands, answers to difficult questions have been found since 2019. The latest achievement: replacing two natural-gas-fired steam turbines with two brand-new electric motors. The result: an expected 10% reduction in CO2 emissions. But there is more.
Text: Marcel Burger. Photography: Ernst Bode.
“What began as a good idea grew into an investment decision in the so-called e-drives project a year and a half ago, and has now become a reality,” says Antoinet van Schaijk, General Manager of Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk. At the end of March, the last of two natural-gas-driven steam turbines was replaced by an electric motor, which has since been successfully brought into operation. “A concrete example of the energy transition in action.”
According to the originators of the plan, the benefits of the electric motors are considerable: 230 kilotonnes (10%) less CO2 emissions per year, less noise pollution and lower waste heat losses. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions alone is equivalent to removing 50,000 petrol cars from Dutch roads.
Today and tomorrow
Van Schaijk: “Electrifying our installations is an excellent example of how we can produce basic chemicals ever more sustainably. For what society demands today and tomorrow.”
After all, think of any product for everyday use and there is a big chance some component has been made in Moerdijk, especially in the Netherlands and its neighbouring countries. The plastic wrap of the carrots you buy, for example, or the tray that protects your evening meal until it goes into the pan or microwave. Or the soles of your sneakers that made your feet comfortable on the way to the supermarket. Or the offshore wind turbines that ensure you have enough electricity to read your shopping list on your mobile phone. And the soap you use to wash your hands before cooking.
About Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk
Since the late 1960s, Shell’s chemical complex has been located at the Moerdijk industrial and port area, in the southwest of the Netherlands. Around 850 Shell employees and 400 contractors work here. In the various plants, basic chemicals are produced every day of the year, ending up in products we all use on a daily basis.
The journey began in 2019
With the installation of the new electric motors, Moerdijk continues a journey that began seven years ago. On 14 March 2019, Shell opened its first solar farm in the Netherlands, at Moerdijk. With 76,000 panels and a peak capacity of 27 megawatts, it was at that time one of the largest in the country. Moerdijk's solar farm still supplies a small share of the complex’s electricity demand (it was 5% when it was commissioned).
Since then, many more and larger solar parks have been built in the Netherlands, including five by Shell. The energy company has continued to invest billions in the energy transition. As of 2026, Shell’s fifth wind farm in the Netherlands — and its fourth offshore — is under construction, the Holland Hydrogen 1 green hydrogen plant is nearing completion, and more and more Shell Recharge charging points are being installed for electric drivers. Shell Energy, together with Shell Trading, helps companies in the Netherlands to make their energy use more sustainable, while Shell Biogas has plans to produce a natural gas alternative in collaboration with farmers.
Furnaces and circular plastic
Shell has not been standing still in Moerdijk either. Recently, the replacement of sixteen old furnaces with eight more energy-efficient versions was completed. This took place in the largest plant on site. This upgrade delivers a further 10 per cent reduction in CO₂ emissions — once again equivalent to taking 50,000 cars off the road.
The plant concerned is called Moerdijk Lower Olefins (MLO) and is a so-called cracker. It splits and separates larger and smaller molecular chains in order to use the smaller parts to create new basic chemicals for everyday products. With the renewal of the furnaces, the number of chimneys has been reduced from ten to six. Hence the project was given the name Skyline.
Equally innovative is Moerdijk’s solution to tackle the growing mountain of plastic waste generated by households across the Netherlands. On 8 November 2024, a new plant was commissioned to enable the reuse of plastic waste that is difficult to recycle. This facility, known as the Market Development Upgrader (MDU), processes oil derived from the plastic waste of around 2.5 million people.
The next smart idea?
In this way, Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk continues to find new answers to complex challenges. With a total CO₂ emissions reduction of around 20 per cent expected soon, alongside advances in plastic recycling, the improvements are far from over. With 850 employees, there is always someone at Shell in Moerdijk coming up with the next smart idea to make processes just that bit more efficient, energy-efficient, safer or more sustainable.
Cautionary note
Cautionary note
The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience to reference Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The terms “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.
Forward-Looking statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; “aspire”, “aspiration”, ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; “desire”; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; “vision”; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks, including climate change; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including tariffs and regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East, and a significant cyber security, data privacy or IT incident; (n) the pace of the energy transition; and (o) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, June 2, 2026. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.
Shell’s net carbon intensity
Also, in this announcement we may refer to Shell’s “net carbon intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “net carbon intensity” or NCI is for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.
Shell’s net-zero emissions target
Shell’s operating plan and outlook are forecasted for a three-year period and ten-year period, respectively, and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next three and ten years. Accordingly, the outlook reflects our combined Scope 1 and 2 target, NCI target and our oil products ambition over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plan and outlook cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is outside our planning period. Such future operating plans and outlooks could include changes to our portfolio, efficiency improvements and the use of carbon capture and storage and carbon credits. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans and outlooks to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.
Forward-Looking non-GAAP measures
This announcement may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.
The contents of websites referred to in this announcement do not form part of this announcement.
We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.
Antoinet van Schaijk, General Manager Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk"Electrifying our installations is an excellent example of how we can produce basic chemicals ever more sustainably"
