French utility Engie and Norwegian state-owned energy firm Equinor are studying the feasibility of a blue hydrogen project in the Ghent area of Belgium.

The H2BE project would be based on autothermal reforming (ATR) of natural gas combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS). Captured CO₂ will be shipped in liquid form for permanent storage under the Norwegian North Sea. ATR technology allows for decarbonisation rates above 95pc and can deliver hydrogen at large scale and competitive costs, according to Equinor.

The project could start up “well before 2030” and commercial talks are underway with potential offtakers, predominantly from large, hard-to-abate industries, Equinor says.

Engie and Equinor are working with Belgian gas transmission system operator Fluxys and North Sea Port—which operates a cross-border port area between Vlissingen on the Dutch North Sea coast and Ghent—on plans for infrastructure to support the H2BE project.

“Engie is convinced that decarbonized thermal energy is required to achieve carbon neutrality in our economy, alongside renewable electricity sources,” says Edouard Neviaski, Engie’s CEO of global energy management.

95pc – Potential CO₂ capture rate with ATR technology

H2BE would be a key building block in the hydrogen and CO₂ infrastructure, which would be open for other entities to access.  The consortium is planning to connect supply and demand across further industrial clusters in Belgium and neighbouring countries.

“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 decarbonisation of industries, including continuous and flexible electricity production,” says Grete Tveit, Equinor’s senior vice-president for low carbon solutions.

H2BE will support the delivery of the Belgian government’s hydrogen strategy published in late October. The strategy calls for Belgium to become an import hub for green hydrogen and a leader hydrogen technology. It also calls for the creation of a robust hydrogen market.

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Author: Stuart Penson