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presents a significant opportunity to bridge the gap from fossil-based to renewable energy.”
A CONSORTIUM OF ten public and privatesector partners have launched an ambitious hydrogen-to-methanol project in the port of Ghent, Belgium. The project aims to reduce CO² emissions by 140,000 tonnes per year, with annual output of 44,000 tonnes of ‘green’ methanol for use as feedstock to the local chemical and renewables sectors, as well as to meet the emerging demand for methanol as fuel for ships and trains. North-C-Methanol is the first large-scale demonstration plant that forms part of the North-CCU-Hub programme, which aims to reduce annual CO² emissions in North Sea Port, an alliance comprising the Dutch ports
The new project, set to cost some €140m, is the first of two to be built, along with supporting infrastructure, on the Rodenhuize peninsula in Ghent. The 65-MW electrolyser is being constructed on the Engie site and will convers water into green hydrogen and oxygen using wind power. Cedric Osterrieth, director of thermal activities in Europe of Engie, says it is a logical choice: “We already have a direct, high-voltage grid link with renewable energy generated by the North Sea winds. We can use this energy to produce hydrogen, which in turn can serve as a renewable raw material.” This hydrogen will feed a second plant,
ROUND IN CIRCLES The North-C-Methanol project is a concrete example of a localised circular economy: waste from some companies will be used as raw material by others, with the necessary conversions involving renewable electricity. All by-products of the process, such as oxygen, heat and water, will also be used locally. The project will also entail the installation of new pipeline connections and bulk storage tanks, which is being handled by Fluxys and Oiltanking, with Mitsubishi Power overseeing the integration and coordination of the entire construction process. “This collaboration means we are consolidating our position in the sphere of the circular economy which already exists in the port,” says Daan Schalck, CEO of North Sea Port. “The port also has at its disposal extensive logistics activities, a massive storage capacity and links via the sea, inland shipping, rail and road.” The project also has the support of local authorities, as Hilde Crevits, deputy prime minister of Flanders, explains: “This project shows why Flanders can become a leader in sustainable innovation. With our ports and their industry, we are ideally positioned to invest in a circular and sustainable industry. It provides sustainable growth and new jobs and with this type of project we make a leap forward to a resilient Flanders. Moreover, it is also a step in the direction of becoming less dependent on fossil raw materials from abroad.” North-CCU-Hub expects a gradual increase of North-C-Methanol capacity
of Vlissingen, Borssele and Terneuzen and the Belgian port of Ghent.
which will collect CO² emissions from local industries and combine it with the green hydrogen to produce green methanol. David Cassidy, CEO of Proman, which will operate the unit, says: “We are excited to further develop methanol’s potential as a clean fuel for the future. Green methanol
from 65 MW in 2024 to 600 MW in 2030, as part of an evolving programme whereby new technologies, markets, and products such as ammonia, formic acid, fatty acids, esters, and proteins will gradually be developed and integrated. northccuhub.eu
GREEN FOR GO SUSTAINABILITY • REALISING THE TARGET OF CIRCULAR ECONOMIES WILL ENTAIL WIDESPREAD COLLABORATION, AS A NEW PROJECT IN NORTH SEA PORT ILLUSTRATES
OILTANKING’S GHENT TERMINAL WILL PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN THE NEW METHANOL PROJECT
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