A plant-wide control strategy based on integrating linear model predictive control (LMPC) and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) is proposed. The hybrid method is applicable to plants that can be decomposed into approximately linear subsystems and highly nonlinear subsystems that interact via mass and energy flows. LMPC is applied to the linear subsystems and NMPC is applied to the nonlinear subsystems. A simple controller coordination strategy that counteracts interaction effects is proposed for the case of one linear subsystem and one nonlinear subsystem. A reactor/separator process with recycle is used to compare the hybrid method to conventional LMPC and NMPC techniques. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.