Infrastructure operator Fluxys has started the construction of the first phase of its hydrogen pipeline network in Belgium.
In the port areas of Antwerp and Ghent, as well as between those ports (from Kallo to Zelzate), the company will build new hydrogen pipelines to provide transport capacity to the market according to the principle of open access, Fluxys revealed, adding that these pipelines will also be constructed with multi-purpose technology.
As disclosed, the first phase of this network will be ready in 2026 and will be gradually expanded over the coming years in line with market development, and to the extent that the investment risk in the start-up phase of the market is brought to an acceptable level by government mechanisms.
Pascal De Buck, CEO of Fluxys hydrogen and CEO and Managing Director of Fluxys Belgium, stated: “We confirm that we are starting the construction of this infrastructure which is essential for decarbonising the industry. With this step, Fluxys as an industrial group takes on its role in the energy transition.”
To note, in 2023, Fluxys established the subsidiary Fluxys hydrogen to develop the necessary infrastructure for hydrogen transport, and in April 2024, the subsidiary was appointed as the operator responsible for the development and management of an open-access hydrogen transport network in Belgium.
This new pipeline network will be a first step in facilitating the hydrogen economy with a transport network to which producers and consumers can connect, as provided for in the appointment as ‘Hydrogen Network Operator,’ Fluxys said.