Nest - Rotterdam Maritime Capital of Europe

Neste announced that they have chosen Rotterdam as the intended location for a €1.5 billion investment to expand their sustainable fuels production capacity (renewable diesel and jet fuel) and raw materials for the chemicals industry.

Learn more about hydrogen in Rotterdam.

Neste already has a plant on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The planned expansion will be located partly on the existing site and partly on a new site on Maasvlakte 2. This expansion in production capacity will create around 100 jobs. The final decision on the investment is expected to be made at the end of this year or the beginning of next year.

Boost for energy transition in the Netherlands

Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Allard Castelein is delighted with Neste’s choice of location. ‘We are proud to have been chosen as Neste’s second European home port. The proposed expansion will give a major boost to the energy transition in the Port of Rotterdam’s industrial cluster. We see Neste’s envisaged choice as confirmation that Rotterdam is a suitable location for businesses of this kind. The anticipated investments in Porthos and the hydrogen programme will guarantee the ready availability of sustainable hydrogen in Rotterdam. Moreover, Rotterdam has a cast-iron position in terms of logistics. We look forward to working with Neste on the realisation of their production facility. Neste expects to have enough nitrogen space available to allow the construction of the plant. Should this not be the case, the Port of Rotterdam Authority will facilitate it.’

Doubling of Dutch production capacity for sustainable raw materials

The proposed new investment of €1.5 billion will involve the construction of a plant that will double the production capacity for renewable fuels and raw materials for the chemicals industry in the Netherlands at a single stroke. The effects of the proposed investment will be considerable. Not only will it lead directly to the creation of more than 100 jobs, the construction of the plant will also provide over 4,500 man-years of employment. It could also save approximately 3.5 million tons of additional carbon emissions per year. Thanks to innovation, this production facility will put Neste in a position to reuse low-value residual and waste products. In addition to producing renewable fuels for road haulage, the proposed investment will also produce renewable raw materials for the chemicals and aviation fuel sectors.

About Neste

Neste is the world’s largest producer of renewable diesel refined from more than ten different types of waste and residues. For 13 years, Neste has featured continuously in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the world’s leading companies in terms of sustainability. Over ten years, Neste has been transformed from a ‘traditional’ petrochemicals company into a frontrunner in the field of renewable biofuels with plants in Finland, Singapore and the Netherlands. Since 2007, Neste has invested over €1.5 billion in sustainable activities in the Netherlands. This has resulted in 960 direct and indirect jobs.

Neste operates three production sites in the Netherlands: Sluiskil, Vlaardingen and Rotterdam. At the beginning of March, the company completed its acquisition of the Bunge Loders Crocklaan refinery in Rotterdam. This will allow it to scale up its feedstock pretreatment capacity more quickly. Since 2019, Neste’s global headquarters for its ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuels’ division has been located in Hoofddorp. Recently, Neste also acquired a minority stake in AFS, the company that supplies aviation fuel at Schiphol.

Source: Port of Rotterdam