INEOS Olefins Belgium is the first industrial player to sign an agreement with Fluxys to participate in the feasibility study for the development of an open access hydrogen network in the port of Antwerp.
The cooperation follows the market consultation initiated by Fluxys last year to match supply and demand for hydrogen in the Belgian industrial clusters.
The European Commission considers hydrogen essential for becoming carbon-neutral. When hydrogen is used as a fuel, it is carbon-free and essentially only water vapour is emitted. It is also an important raw material for the chemical industry.
Project ONE, the investment project for the construction of an ethane cracker on the right bank in the port of Antwerp, could play a significant role in the dimensioning of the hydrogen network in Antwerp.
Depending on the future transition to net zero emissions and the scenario chosen, the plant has the potential to take around 100,000 tonnes of hydrogen off the grid.
Raphaël De Winter, Director Business Development & Innovation at Fluxys: “In Antwerp, the interest shown by INEOS Olefins Belgium is an important step in the development of the infrastructure needed by industry. The train is leaving now: with the interest of all the companies combined, we will complete the studies for the grid in Antwerp early 2023 and conclude contracts in the first half of 2023 to be able to build.”
As a group, INEOS is already involved in numerous projects where hydrogen plays an important role. One example is the collaboration with Fluxys and the other consortium partners of Power to Methanol to build a demo plant for the production of sustainable methanol from hydrogen and captured CO2 by electrolysis.
In November 2020, the INEOS group launched a new business to develop and build green hydrogen capacity across Europe to support the drive towards a carbon-free future. This was followed a year later by the announcement to invest EUR 2 billion in the production of carbon-free, green hydrogen across Europe.