(Antwerp / Belgium) – The port of Antwerp-Bruges has joined the German foundation H2Global. This has set itself the goal of expanding and promoting the production and use of green hydrogen in Europe.
“In addition to local production, Flanders will also need the import of sustainable hydrogen,” said Flemish Minister for Labor, Economy, Innovation and Agriculture Jo Brouns, whose government supports the accession. “Flanders and Belgium are too small to produce all the hydrogen they need themselves.”
Port operator aims for key position
According to Annick De Ridder, CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, the port operator has “joined up in a hydrogen import coalition with five major industrial companies and public actors”. In the coming years, hydrogen projects would take place with Chile and Oman (Port of Duqm) further developed. Construction is also starting on “Hyoffwind”, a joint project between several companies to install a 25-megawatt electrolysis plant.
The port should also play a key position in the import and local production of green hydrogen. The Antwerp and Zeebrugge locations are operated by the Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority, a Belgian limited liability company. The shareholders are the city of Antwerp and the city of Bruges. The two ports merged in April 2022.
Plug Power builds 100 MW electrolyser
Only in June did the port operator hire two new companies to develop a “NextGen DistrictThe project mentioned: the US manufacturer of electrolysers and fuel cells, Plug Power Inc., and the Belgian water treatment specialist, Ekopak NV.
Accordingly, Plug Power will build a 100 megawatt plant to produce green hydrogen with a capacity of 35 tons per day in the port area. The Americans want to produce up to 2024 tons of liquid and gaseous green hydrogen here annually for the European market from 12.500.
Ekopak will build a water treatment plant called “Waterkracht” as part of a joint venture with the water utility Water-Link and the Flemish investment company PMV. This will purify the wastewater of the residents of Antwerp and produce up to 3.000 cubic meters of cooling and process water per hour at full capacity.
H2Global model tests import of green hydrogen
One element of H2Global is the testing of a funding program for a timely market ramp-up and import of green hydrogen and Power-to-X products (PtX). The Hamburg-based foundation, founded in 2020, has developed a double auction mechanism in which the Leipzig-based subsidiary “HINT.CO” acts as an intermediary.
It works according to the already well-known “Contracts-for-Difference” (CfD) approach: the green hydrogen and its derivatives are purchased at the lowest possible price and then sold in Europe to the highest bidder. However, it is to be expected that the purchase price is currently higher than the sales price. The negative difference will be compensated for a limited time by grants from the Federal Ministry of Economics. Up to 900 million euros are available for this.
Acceptance contracts are expected to be concluded this year. The first deliveries of sustainable hydrogen-based energy sources to Germany and Europe are planned for 2024, according to the Federal Ministry of Economics. The EU Commission granted the funding project approval under state aid law in December 2021.
To date, 36 internationally positioned companies from the areas of energy, finance, logistics and heavy industry are involved in the foundation, including the Belgian port company.
Photos
The port company wants to occupy a key position in the import of green hydrogen. © Port of Antwerp-Bruges
