Fuelling ADPO from the sun

GAS-FREE TERMINAL

POWER • THERE ARE MANY WAYS OF IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY IN INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS AND ADPO IS ADOPTING MANY OF THEM AT ITS FACILITY IN THE PORT OF ANTWERP

ANTWERP DISTRIBUTION AND Products Operations (ADPO) has recently installed what is said to be the first solar concentrator thermal (CST) energy farm in the European process industry, at its marine terminal and tank container depot in Beveren, on the left bank of the River Scheldt within the Port of Antwerp. This pioneering technology generates eco-friendly heat from sunlight that can be used in industrial operations.

In this case, the CST array can generate high-grade heat at up to 400˚C, replacing the

THE OPENING OF THE NEW CST INSTALLATION AT ADPO

WAS ATTENDED BY LOCAL DIGNITARIES

500 MWh gas boilers that ADPO has so far used to produce the 140˚C steam it uses in tank cleaning operations and for heating tanks and containers.

The plant was installed for ADPO by the Genk-based energy company Azteq as part of a pilot project co-financed by the Flemish government. It consists of lines of parabolic solar reflectors, each 5 m long and with a total area of 1,100 m², installed in lines of 120 to follow the path of the sun; the reflectors are sited above the company’s car park, above a railway line and under power lines, and so take up no extra ground area.

CST technology produces three times more energy per installed square metre than traditional photovoltaic (PV) systems; the heat can also be stored in insulated containers so that it is available for use at night.

DECARBONISATION IN PRACTICE Such initiatives are nothing new to ADPO, as managing director Filip de Dijcker explains: “Investing in the transition to sustainable, renewable energy is in our DNA. We already generate 700 MWh of electricity per year from solar panels, and the first LNG/CNG gas station was built on our terminal five years ago. We are also making our contribution to the modal shift: thanks to a new container quay we transport 10,000 containers per year by water instead of by road, and we have made significant investments in a rail connection and a direct pipeline connection for two of our companies.”

The ADPO unit is one of three pilot installations in northern Belgium, costing a total of €1,425m; this is being supported to the tune of €819,000 by the Flemish government as part of its efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

“With this technology we aim to decarbonise a significant part of industrial energy requirements by 2030,” says Koen Vermout, CEO of Azteq. “We want in particular to demonstrate the feasibility of this technology and to establish it here. In addition to Flanders there are also plans for projects in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria and Spain. Making the supply of heat for industry more eco-friendly not only leads to significant reductions in CO² emissions but also to technical progress and job creation in a future-oriented circular economy.”

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Port of Antwerp, adds: “Together with industry we are working to reduce CO² emissions and make the transition to alternative energy sources, so as to become a CO²-neutral port. We want to be a testbed for technological innovation that helps us on the way to a sustainable future. I am therefore proud that this promising technology is being tested first in Port of Antwerp.” www.adpo.com www.azteq.be