Lavéra Cracking III plant partial view (another night view shows nine chimneys in total) | Source: Naphthachimie corporate website
The Naphtachimie sits within the broader Lavéra industrial platform, approximately 50 km west of Marseille on the Mediterranean coast, adjacent to the strategic Lavéra–Fos oil terminal complex.
Physical Footprint
Naphtachimie occupies approximately 66 hectares within the chemical zone of the Lavéra platform. The wider Lavéra industrial complex spans 650 hectares in total, of which around 60 hectares remain available for development. The overall complex hosts 13 companies, approximately 2,000 direct employees and 1,000 contractors across the full refining and petrochemical site.
Production Units
Naphtachimie operates two main production workshops and a dedicated thermal power plant and utilities infrastructure.
Workshop 1 — Steam Cracker (Vapocraqueur)
The centrepiece of Naphtachimie's operations is one of the largest steam cracker in Europe, with a nameplate capacity of 720,000 tonnes per annum (ktpa) of ethylene. The Naphthachimie cracking plant processes naphtha and other light petroleum (LPG) cuts from the adjacent Lavéra refinery. Capacity of the cracker has grown significantly over time in terms of ethylene capacity:
- 1966: 100,000 t/yr
- 1969: 120,000 t/yr
- 1972: 400,000 t/yr
- 1980: 480,000 t/yr
- 1986: 500,000 t/yr
- 1991: 620,000 t/yr
- 1996: 700,000 t/yr
- 2001: 720,000 t/yr (current nominal capacity)
The steam cracking unit (CK4) enables the transformation of light petroleum cuts (naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas) into olefins and aromatics through high-temperature cracking. The main products obtained are pyrolysis gasoline (28%), ethylene (24%), propylene (17%), methane (14%), the C4 fraction (12%), pyrolysis fuel oil (3%), and hydrogen (2%).
Workshop 2 — Butadiene Extraction Unit (Atelier Butadiène III)
The second main production workshop is the Butadiene (BD) extraction unit, designated Atelier Butadiène III in French regulatory filings. It processes the C4 cut produced by the steam cracker, separating it into two distinct saleable streams by extractive distillation.
The process involves feeding the mixed C4 cut to a distillation column where N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP) preferentially reduces the volatility of butadiene relative to the butene isomers, enabling their clean separation. The Butadiene III unit enables the extraction of 1,3-butadiene (37%) and Raffinate 1 (60%) from the C4 cut produced by steam cracking.
The unit's capacity was progressively expanded beyond its original permitted limit, reaching 120,000 t/yr. This prompted a formal regularisation and IED-threshold extension project, filed with the French environmental authorities (MRAE PACA) in 2021–2022 and subsequently authorised.
Platform Integration
The site is deeply integrated with the Lavéra refinery (operated by Petroineos) immediately upstream, which supplies the naphtha feedstock to the steam cracker via direct pipeline connections. Naphtachimie's outputs in turn feed downstream units on the same platform — Appryl (polypropylene) and Gexaro (benzene extraction) — minimising dangerous goods transport and creating strong industrial synergies. The chemical site occupies the area downstream of the refinery and converts light distillation fractions into monomers, polymers, and chemical intermediates.
Geographic and Logistics Advantages
The site's strategic location at the end of the Rhône corridor and in proximity to the Lavéra and Fos oil ports provides direct access to international crude and feedstock supply routes, as well as global product distribution. Product dispatch from the site is possible via ship, train, river barge, truck, and pipeline. Notably, INEOS also owns majority interest in the ethylene pipeline connecting Lavéra to polymer production at Sarralbe in northeastern France, acquired as part of the 2024 TotalEnergies deal.
Infrastructure and Utilities
Beyond olefin production, Naphtachimie serves as the central utilities provider for the Lavéra chemical platform, operating a dedicated thermal power plant and supplying steam, demineralised water, electricity, cooling water, nitrogen, and wastewater treatment to co-located companies. The site is connected to gas and electricity networks supplying up to 300 MW of energy-intensive capacity. An on-site Technology Centre employing around 50 specialists supports catalyst and polymer R&D, process technology, modelling, and analytical engineering across multiple INEOS sites.
Certifications and HSE
The Lavéra site holds certifications for quality, environmental, and energy management under ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001. It is classified as a Seveso III High Threshold installation, with the site fenced and guarded 24/7. Naphtachimie's operations are subject to regular inspection by the French Inspection des Installations Classées (DREAL).
