UK Firm's US Fracked Gas Trade Raises Health and Climate Concerns

A British petrochemical giant is at the center of a growing controversy over the environmental and social impacts of exporting fossil fuels from the United States to Europe. New analysis indicates that Ineos, owned by billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is spearheading a significant expansion in the trade of fracked ethane gas, which is primarily used to manufacture plastics for European consumer goods.

The investigation highlights the stark contrast between European regulations on domestic extraction and international trade. While hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has been banned across much of Europe due to its links to seismic activity and pollution, countries can still import fracked gas from other nations. This regulatory gap allows companies like Ineos to source gas from heavily fracked regions in the US while processing it in European facilities.

In Washington County, Pennsylvania, residents are experiencing the direct consequences of this industry. Lois Bower-Bjornson, a campaigner with the Clean Air Council, reports severe health issues among her children, including widespread rashes and nosebleeds severe enough to cause anemia. She attributes these ailments to the 36 fracking wells surrounding her property in the Appalachian region, one of the most intensively drilled areas in the state.

Data analyzed by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) shows that since 2016, the volume of ethane shipped by or for Ineos has grown approximately 7.3-fold. The total shipments increased from 429 kilotonnes in 2016 to 3,130 kilotonnes in 2025. CIEL estimates that Ineos is responsible for at least two-thirds of all ethane exports from the US, making it the primary driver of this rapidly expanding global trade.

To facilitate this trade, Ineos completed a $2 billion fleet of eight vessels known as "dragon ships" in 2016. These vessels transport fracked ethane across the Atlantic Ocean to Ineos’s petrochemical plants in Rafnes, Norway, and Grangemouth, Scotland. Between March 2016 and November 2025, CIEL identified 790 shipments of US-sourced ethane on Ineos-branded vessels.

The controversy extends to Project One, a proposed development in Antwerp, Belgium, which would become Europe’s largest plastic factory. The project has received financial backing from the British government and intends to use US fracked gas as feedstock. Campaigners argue that the plant could harm communities along the entire supply chain, from extraction sites in Pennsylvania to residential areas in Belgium.

Ineos maintains that it does not own or operate any wells in Pennsylvania and sources ethane from many independent producers. A spokesperson stated that Project One will require approximately two million tonnes of ethane annually, representing just 3% of US production, and argued that natural gas production does not depend on Ineos’s purchases. However, critics contend that this perspective ignores the broader systemic impact of the company’s demand.

Health studies have found that children living within one mile of a fracking well had approximately five to seven times the chance of developing lymphoma compared with children who lived in a place with no wells within five miles. While causation cannot be definitively proven for individual cases, a 2020 grand jury criticized the US government for failing to protect residents from the harmful health effects of fracking, noting a profound gap between constitutional mandates for clean air and local realities.

“Investigation reveals British company Ineos drives growth in US fracked ethane exports to Europe, sparking health concerns in Pennsylvania.”