https://oilprice.com/Company-News/Total ... Plant.htmlTotalEnergies Launches France’s First Advanced Plastic Recycling Plant
By Charles Kennedy - Mar 19, 2026,
TotalEnergies has commissioned France’s first advanced plastics recycling facility at its Grandpuits site near Paris, with a processing capacity of 15,000 tons per year. The plant utilizes pyrolysis technology provided by Plastic Energy to convert hard-to-recycle household plastic waste into synthetic oil.
This synthetic oil is then reintegrated into the petrochemical value chain as a feedstock, enabling the production of recycled plastics that match virgin-grade quality, including for high-spec applications such as food packaging and medical use.
The startup represents a critical milestone in TotalEnergies’ broader transformation of its Grandpuits refinery into a “zero-crude” platform—an industrial hub designed to operate without traditional crude oil refining. Instead, the site is being repositioned around circular economy initiatives, biofuels, and low-carbon solutions.
By deploying advanced recycling, TotalEnergies is targeting waste streams that cannot be processed through conventional mechanical recycling, addressing a major bottleneck in plastic waste management.
The facility relies on pyrolysis, a thermochemical process that breaks down plastic waste at high temperatures in an oxygen-free environment. This method produces a liquid hydrocarbon output—often referred to as “pyrolysis oil”—which can substitute for fossil-derived feedstocks in petrochemical production.
To ensure feedstock supply, TotalEnergies signed agreements in 2023 with French recycling and waste management players Citeo and Paprec. These partnerships secure long-term access to post-consumer plastic waste streams that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated.
Plastic Energy, the technology provider, is a key collaborator in scaling this advanced recycling pathway across Europe.
Advanced recycling—particularly pyrolysis—is gaining traction across the global petrochemical and energy sectors as companies seek to improve circularity and reduce reliance on virgin fossil inputs. Major oil and gas firms have increasingly invested in chemical recycling technologies to meet tightening regulatory pressures in Europe and growing demand for recycled-content plastics.
France, like much of the EU, faces stringent recycling targets and mounting pressure to reduce landfill use. The Grandpuits project positions TotalEnergies at the forefront of this transition domestically, while aligning with broader EU circular economy policies.
The development also reflects a wider trend among refiners repurposing legacy assets into low-carbon and circular platforms, as traditional fuel demand growth slows and sustainability mandates intensify.
The success of the Grandpuits facility could serve as a template for scaling advanced recycling across TotalEnergies’ global portfolio. While still nascent, chemical recycling technologies are expected to play a growing role in closing the plastics loop—particularly for complex and contaminated waste streams.
As regulatory frameworks evolve and demand for recycled plastics rises, early investments in advanced recycling infrastructure could offer both compliance advantages and new revenue streams for integrated energy companies.
https://www.usinenouvelle.com/chimie/ch ... F6MYI.htmlDémarrage de la première usine française de recyclage chimique des plastiques : TotalEnergies a mis en service son installation de Grandpuits, au sud de Paris
Poursuivant la reconversion de son site de Grandpuits-Gargenville (Seine-et-Marne) vers une « plateforme zéro pétrole », l’énergéticien TotalEnergies a mis en service, en décembre dernier, son usine de recyclage chimique des plastiques complexes à base de polyéthylène et de polypropylène qui aura nécessité 100 millions d’euros d’investissement. La pleine capacité des installations devrait être atteinte fin 2026.
Benjamin Houry Publié le 19 mars 2026
Le contraste est saisissant. Sur la plateforme de Grandpuits, en Seine-et-Marne, les anciennes installations de raffinage de TotalEnergies, immenses colonnes parsemées de rouille dominées par une cheminé rouge et blanc de plus de 100 mètres de haut, qui sont à l’arrêt depuis 2021, font face à la nouvelle usine de recyclage chimique des déchets de polypropylène et de polyéthylène, rutilante, en pleine montée en puissance. Démarrée en décembre 2025, la structure cubique de cinq étages aura nécessité un investissement de près de 100 millions d’euros. D’ici à la fin 2026, l’usine atteindra sa pleine capacité de traitement de 15 000 tonnes par an, valorisant des déchets de plastiques souples multicouches, de plastiques contaminés ou encore de films souples, destinés traditionnellement à l’enfouissement ou à l’incinération.