Fluxys and Gasunie join forces to connect Belgian and Dutch hydrogen networks at North Sea Port
Within roughly four years, hydrogen will pass through a pipeline across the national border in the cross-border port area of North Sea Port. Gasunie, Fluxys and the port are joining forces to connect the Dutch and Belgian hydrogen networks in the port zone, according to the company's release.
Gasunie and Fluxys are working to develop a national hydrogen network in the Netherlands and Belgium respectively. The two networks will link together in the port zone on the Dutch-Belgian border. The connection will supply hydrogen to the companies in the 60-kilometre port zone stretching from Vlissingen and Terneuzen in the Netherlands to Ghent in Belgium. Gasunie, Fluxys and North Sea Port made the necessary arrangements on Tuesday 17 May.
Working in close collaboration with industry, Fluxys and Gasunie are preparing for the construction of an open-access hydrogen network on both sides of the Belgian-Dutch border. All companies can connect to the infrastructure. The aim is to have the networks operational by 2026 and to join them at the border. This connection will mark the creation of one of the first cross-border open-access hydrogen networks in Europe. The two hydrogen networks will be connected in the towns of Sas van Gent in the Netherlands and Zelzate in Belgium, where natural gas is already flowing between the two countries. The pipes for the hydrogen network will mainly be laid along existing pipeline routes, minimising the impact on the environment.
Thanks to its scale effect, the cross-border connection will make a significant contribution towards developing the entire hydrogen value chain in the port zone, reorienting towards a green economy as well as supporting and expanding employment. The link will create an open market for green and low-carbon hydrogen in the entire port area, connecting suppliers and customers in a robust system. Linking the port zone into the national hydrogen infrastructure in the Netherlands and Belgium also gives companies access to a large hinterland as well as other industrial clusters and ports in Europe.
The cross-border industrial cluster in North Sea Port is the largest hydrogen hub in the Benelux. Every year, companies produce and consume 580,000 tonnes of hydrogen. This demand for hydrogen in the port zone will double by 2050 and will be fully sustainable by then. The cross-border network is to connect supply and demand on a large scale throughout the port zone and will boost the development of the hydrogen market. North Sea Port is well situated to develop into a hydrogen hub with a broad international appeal. This dovetails with the ambitions of and investments by Europe, the Netherlands, Belgium and Flanders in the energy and climate transition and the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2050.
