ENGIE and Equinor signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in February to work together on low-carbon hydrogen projects. The H2BE project, which aims to develop the production of low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas in Belgium, has now been announced by the two companies.
It was on October 29th that the Belgian federal government released its Hydrogen Strategy, and the H2BE project will assist in implementing it. Autothermal reforming (ATR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS) are key components of the H2BE project, which aims to produce hydrogen from natural gas (CCS).
Hydrogen can be produced at large (GW) scales at competitive costs using the ATR technology, allowing for decarbonization rates of over 95%. Planned transportation and storage of captured CO2 will be carried out using liquid form and will take place at a location in the Norwegian North Sea.
For the Belgian and Flemish hydrogen strategies, H2BE is an excellent fit. This emphasis on renewable hydrogen also stresses the importance of low-carbon hydrogen in achieving decarbonization goals and accelerating the development of a clean hydrogen market and infrastructure in the near future.
For the first time, ENGIE and Equinor are conducting a feasibility study on a site in the Ghent area. Meanwhile, negotiations with potential hydrogen offtakers, mainly large, difficult to abate industries, continue.
With regard to port infrastructure, there are ongoing discussions with North Sea Port. As part of North Sea Port’s recently released strategic plan, “Connect 2025,” hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure development is being accelerated and carbon neutrality is being achieved.
The project’s success depends on having the necessary hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure in place. As a result, Fluxys, Belgium’s independent gas transmission system operator, joined forces with ENGIE and Equinor.
Fluxys Belgium plans to build an open access hydrogen and CO2 infrastructure to connect supply and demand across industrial clusters in Belgium and neighboring countries, and the H2BE project would be a key building block in this effort. As a result of the H2BE project’s collaboration with Fluxys, other hydrogen and CO2 capturing projects will benefit from lower overall costs as a result.
To help Belgium meet its interim 2030 decarbonization goals, all partners plan to begin operations well before that date.
Edouard Neviaski, CEO of the ENGIE’s entity “Global Energy Management” says: “ENGIE is convinced that decarbonized thermal energy is required to achieve carbon neutrality in our economy, alongside renewable electricity sources. Therefore, ENGIE is fully committed to developing renewable and low carbon hydrogen solutions. We firmly believe that renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, with multiple uses and advantages, have everything to be the undeniable ally to accelerate the development of a solid infrastructure and the transition to a carbon neutral economy. We are glad to pursue our work on this project with Equinor, a long-standing partner for more than 40 years. We are convinced that our project is a strong tool for a successful implementation of the Belgian hydrogen strategy released by the federal government end of October.”
Grete Tveit, Equinor’s Senior Vice President for Low Carbon Solutions says: “We are delighted to launch the “H2BE” project. Together with our partners we have developed a foundation that has the potential to deliver reliable low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas to enable large-scale decarbonization of industries, including continuous and flexible electricity production. Equinor believes that hydrogen and CCS are vital to succeed with the energy transition and to reach net-zero ambitions. Together with our partners we have a strong and complementary expertise covering all parts of the value chain. We will leverage this when moving this project forward with the goal of realization and contribution to the success of Belgium’s hydrogen economy.”
