- 100 MW electrolyser to be built at Begian Port.
- 35 tonnes of liquid and gaseous green hydrogen to be produced daily.
Plug Power Inc, a US hydrogen technology company, has signed a 30-year concession deal that will have the company build a 100-MW electrolyser at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium.
Plug will construct the facility on a leased 28 acres of landed property. The plant is expected to produce 35 tonnes of liquid and gaseous green hydrogen daily, or about 12,500 tonnes per year, for the European market.
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has an overall throughput of 289 million tonnes of maritime freight per year and is located at the centre of the largest chemical industry in Europe. Given that the Port is close to the North Sea, it is a transportation interconnector to Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and France.
Plug also noted that the plant’s location serves as an opportunity for a ready supply of electricity from on-site and site-adjacent turbines. Aside from the water, road, rail and pipeline access for hydrogen delivery, another benefit that the site’s strategic location enjoys is the new open-access hydrogen pipeline. According to Plug, a contract has been signed with FLuxys to conduct a feasibility study for enabling a connection to the pipeline.
Construction of the project is expected to start in late 2023, and initial hydrogen production is slated for late 2024. Full commissioning is not expected to happen until 2025.
“Belgium is determined to play a pioneering role in the breakthrough of large-scale green hydrogen. It is an objective that is well reflected in the federal hydrogen vision and strategy ‘Green hydrogen for a clean industry.’ That strategy is built on four pillars: positioning Belgium as an import and transit hub in Europe, becoming a leader in hydrogen, establishing a robust hydrogen market and investing in cooperation as a key success factor,” stated Belgium’s Minister of Energy Tinne Van der Straeten.
Andy Marsh, the CEO of Plug, also noted that the energy crisis in Europe had stimulated an increased demand for green hydrogen projects.