Belgian Hydrogen Council

🇧🇪 Yesterday (Oct 24th), the Belgian Hydrogen Council held its second conference in Brussels, bringing together the Belgian hydrogen ecosystem and numerous international players. 🚀 With nearly 350 participants, this conference has clearly become the meeting point for the Belgian hydrogen ecosystem and a gateway for collaboration between players in the field. ⚡️A big thank you to all the speakers, partners, and participants for driving us towards a greener future. 📸 Watch the photo gallery to get a nice impression of the day! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eHAMcd5D

For our last session of our Day : we are focussing on Manufacturing capacity that will be be built in Belgium (and around) in the H2 Value Chain. 1) Making green hydrogen affordable – High performance membranes for alkaline electrolyzers: Vincent Wille, Agfa Focus of Agfa is on the Green H2 Alkaline Water Electrolysis Value Chain by providing membranes : taken into account the high cost off (green) electricity in EU, a key technology to make GreenH2 competitive (lowest LCOH) is the membrane that could help to maximize the output of H2 coming from (green) electrons. The production and R&D are based in Belgium, a new plant being built right now representing an 40 Meuros investment. 2) Innovative stack components for PEM electrolyzers: Edouard d'Autume , Bekaert Two main challenges where Bekaert has a role to play : scaling-up of technologies and reducing the costs (LCOH). As a main supplier in electrolyzer technologies, Bekaert is involved in the components (Porous Transport Layer, Membrane Electrode Assembly) of PEM stacks which are represent a consequent part of the stack value. In Belgium, Bekaert is investing in a mass market of stack components learning plant and R&D facilities. 3) Expanding manufacturing of alkaline electrolyzers: Stephane Putzeys, John Cockerill John Cockerill is a top world-wide player provider pressurized alkaline electrolyzers. As a global equipment manufacturing player, John Cockerill is very involved in the reduction of cost and de-risk the systems by providing a robust development process and testing capabilities. John Cockerill want to be close of their clients by investing in Gigafactories in Europe (Belgium and France), China, USA, India, Morocco, Emirates. A major challenge raised during the presentation is the unfair (bidding with negative margins) competition with low-cost (Chinese) manufacturers : a important question to build an EU value Chain that is the main topic today. 4) Upscaling of PEM electrolyzer manufacturing : status, challenges and way forward: Denis THOMAS, H2 powered®, Accelera by Cummins Cummins / Accelera has presented their PEM Electrolyser products portfolio. Factories plants are based in Canada, Belgium, Spain (new !), USA and China. Key lessons learned from the last years has been shared with the audiance : standardization is a prerequisite, performance is key, rationalization of products (limited products), automatization in the assembly lines and lats but not least global product platforms with regional manufacturing strategy (to boost local content requirements).

How to organise hydrogen transportation and storage? It’s the third session of our conference day. 1) Getting the Belgian H2 backbone on stream: Leen Vanhamme, Fluxys Fluxys has created a multi-energy simulation model for the North See Countries : Green but also Low Carbon H2 (with CCUS) will play an important role to keep industry competitive : but to realize that, some new regulations are needed, new support for final users & new measures to de-risk investments related to infrastructure Fluxys is aiming to connect the future industrial (H2) valleys in Belgium but as well with other countries : Fluxys has launched a call of interest with France and Germany recently to undetrstand the needs of Import/Export with these countries. 2) Advancing Renewable Ammonia Cracking Technologies: Felix Cock, Air Liquide Ammonia (import) is a good vector because infrastructure is already available : to deliver H2 to final users, a missing technology/part of this value chain remains to deliver an Ammonia Cracking (and liquefaction) Plant (process from Ammonia to H2) : AirLiquide has built a Pilot Plant in Antwerp to proove that this pathway is possible. 3) Ammonia as a carrier to feed H2 applications in EU: Miquel Lope, Air Products 2000 t/d of renewable and low carbon H2 is on execution already in the group : an large scale project is presented, representing 2,2 GW of electrolysis (600 tonnes/day), from Saoudi Arabia will be moved to EU (UK, NL, DE). A strategic project for EU. 4) Import and storage in the port of Antwerp: Maxime Peeters, Vopak Vopak is supporting the growing ammonia end-markets by developing large-scale import/export infrastructure with an extensive experience in storing ammonia (tanks). Vopak Energy Park in Antwerp Masterplan is presented with a unique site combining Methanol and (new) Ammonia plants.

We continue our journey in the BHC Conference with a second session speaking about off-take and market creation: what are the main opportunities and challenges ? 1) Market creation ammonia: Eren Basak Gursoy, Yara Clean Ammonia - Green/Clean (H2) Ammonia is a key technology/energy carrier to reduce carbon footprint of some industries such as Fertilizers (from 60 to 90% CO2 reduction potential) but also food industry - Hydrogen demand remains concentrated in traditional application - new uses emerging with policy support - Some challenges still ahead : Yara is ready to take a important role and is already a global players with several projects around the world with new solutions developed for new sectors like shipping. 2) BE off taker refinery : Tom CLAERBOUT, TotalEnergies - To decarbonize EU Refining Sector : it’s nedded to increase the renewable share of transport Fuels - Renewable H2 as a feedstock is a first stepstone towards renewable fuels : H2Firing (energy) is a next step. - TotalEnergies has launched a worldwide tender to supply by 2030 500Ktons GreenH2 in EU - Huge quantities of renewable fuels are required : this is one of the main scope of EU directives REDIII : RFNBO H2 & The refinery route will play a key role. In this topic, we recommend you to read our specify report in this topic : RED III : Key considerations for the implementation of the RFNBO sub-targets in Belgium (https://lnkd.in/eCrssHae).

Very interesting first session in our BHC annual Conference about the production of local or import H2. Actual H2 projects are presented, let’s look at them : 1) Local green production in BE: Stephan Windels, ViryaH2 Strong and local collaboration is a key success factor : HyoffWind project is a proof, it’s a pioneering investment, to provide in 2026 local renewable H2 available at competitive price in Belgium. The market has became more realistic : FID criteria - successfully close with HyoffWind project in 2024 - have been presented with some of the actual challenges around the financial closing. 2) Low carbon hydrogen production in BE : Bob Van Schoor, ENGIE   H2BE project is presented : with a budget of 1,5 Billions euros, 1,7 Mtons of CO2 reduction, 1 GW of low carbon H2, ENGIE and Equinor aim to develop the production of low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas in Belgium (linked with with carbon capture). It will kick-start H2 and CO2 value chains in Belgium. 3) Production in Oman : Jean-Baptiste De Cuyper, DEME Group DEME HYPORT Energy project portfolio is a growing portfolio with more than 4,5 GW of potential in Egypt, Morocco, Terranova and in Oman where there is a important potential (in terms of land allocation, renewables planned production, clear H2 strategy,…) 4) Production in Morocco: Chris Prengels, NetZeroWorx Renewable H2 project from Atlantic Coastal Desert is an extensive project coming from Renewables to GreenH2 and Green Ammonia production. Location is key in this new market and Atlantic Coastal Desert is a very interesting hot spot. 5) Production & import from Canada: Paul MacLean, Bearhead Energy Production & Import of Green H2/Ammonia from Atlantic Canada real - beyond any hype - potential is presented : the last successful Belgian Hydrogen Council mission in september in Atlantic Canada has proofed the big interest of cooperation between Canada and Belgium.

Everything is all set to welcome more than 350 people today at the second conference of the Belgian Hydrogen Council : we are looking forward to meet you there ! The topics of today will focus on building the European hydrogen value chain with, of course, a Belgium point of view. Thank you to all the sponsors to make this second conference possible: Port of Antwerp-Bruges ENGIE Virya Energy Fluxys Sweco Vopak John Cockerill Thank you to all the speakers for sharing your valuable experiences. And of course thank you to all the participants for your interest and your contribution to this important B2B event! Cédric Brüll Isabel Francois Bert De Colvenaer Simon Habran Michel Honselaar

🔧 💰 After discuss about production, transport, storage and usage of clean hydrogen, the sessions 4 and 5 of the Belgian Hydrogen Council conference will focus on manufacturing technologies and financing. 🛒 As you can see, our conference will cover all the key elements to develop the clean hydrogen market. 4️⃣ 5️⃣ For these two last sessions, the speakers will be the following esteemed experts: - Vincent Wille from Agfa - Edouard d'Autume from Bekaert - Stephane Putzeys from John Cockerill - Denis THOMAS, H2 powered® from Cummins - Marijke Mahieu from Ugent - Timo Bollerhey from HINT.CO - Roland H. W. Schulze from EIB ⏰ You are still not registered? If you want to participate you have to fulfill the form now since the inscription will closed this Friday night. 👉 Link for register: https://lnkd.in/e4BRciKQ

🇧🇪 🇫🇷 On the occasion of the state visit to France of the King and the Queen of the Belgians on Tuesday 15 October 2024, the Belgian Hydrogen Council and France Hydrogène have signed a Memorandum of Understanding. 🖋 By this MoU, both parties agree to jointly promote French-Belgium hydrogen business cooperation by listing and presenting current business cooperation projects between French and Belgium companies, finding common points and differences between the French and Belgium hydrogen industry to identify potential area of cooperation along the value chain between French and Belgium businesses and producing a detailed overview of the French and Belgium hydrogen industry along the value chain. 🤝 The parties will also share relevant information on topics of mutual interest and best practices in the public domain such as : international trade development, hydrogen production, export and import projects, value chain business models, transport, and storage infrastructure planification and financing, national and European hydrogen strategies and regulations and its implementation (REDIII, AFIR, …) 📈 In respect of the above and as needed, the parties foresee to organize webinars and workshops together to discuss status, advancements, challenges, and opportunities in the hydrogen sector and to jointly communicate/promote the results and achievements obtained through this cooperation. Both parties undertake to participate and collaborate in mutually beneficial events (BHC congress/Hyvolution) and other relevant events in the hydrogen field.

⏰ In less than 2 weeks, our Belgian Hydrogen Council conference will take place. 🚛 After the session 1 on production of clean hydrogen, session 2 and 3 will focus on the use, transport and storage of this hydrogen. 🫧 Indeed, the production of clean hydrogen is often at the center of discussions while it is on the development of the use of clean hydrogen that this new market will kickstart all the value chain. 2️⃣ 3️⃣ For this two sessions, we have brought together a panel of esteemed experts : • Eren Basak Gursoy from Yara • Tom CLAERBOUT from TotalEnergies • Jorgo Chatzimarkakis from Hydrogen Europe • Leen Vanhamme from Fluxys Hydrogen • Felix Cock from Air Liquide • Miquel Lope from Air Products • Maxime Peeters from Vopak 📍 Not registered yet? Complete program and Registration module 👉https://lnkd.in/e4BRciKQ

Are you already registered? 👉 https://lnkd.in/exeUyqzP