EU grants 110 million euros for hydrogen project in Port of Antwerp
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French multinational Air Liquide has received a €110 million grant from the European Innovation Fund for a hydrogen project in the port of Antwerp, according to an announcement on the company's website.
Air Liquide intends to build an industrial-scale ammonia cracking plant in the Antwerp port area, where ammonia will be converted into low-carbon and renewable hydrogen using a "new cracking technology". The project, called Enhance, is expected to play a key role in the advancement of hydrogen in Europe's energy transition.
The company plans to modify one of its port hydrogen production units to use renewable ammonia as a feedstock instead of natural gas. The company estimates that this modification could reduce CO2 emissions by more than 300,000 tonnes per year. Air Liquide also plans to build a hydrogen tank at the site.
Ammonia exports
"We welcome the European Commission's support for our Enhance project, which contributes to the emergence of a viable infrastructure for the supply of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen in Europe," said Armelle Levieux, responsible for innovation at Air Liquide.
The company had previously announced that it would build a pilot plant for the hydrogen project in Antwerp. The intention is to use the "knowledge and expertise" gained for Enhance.
Ammonia is a molecule made up of hydrogen and nitrogen that can be used as an energy source. In regions with renewable energy sources, ammonia can be produced from hydrogen. In theory, that ammonia could be exported to regions with less access to renewable energy, where it can be converted back into hydrogen.
#FlandersNewsService | The "Air Liquide" hydrogen plant at Port-Jerome, north-western France. © PHOTO Lou Benoist / AFP
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