Belgium – To build a new facility for the compression, purification, and drying of CO2, Basf Antwerp has requested an environmental licence from the Antwerp Environment Counter. This application is a component of the Antwerp@C project.
In order to produce ammonia and ethylene oxide on the BASF site, the first stage in this project is to get the needed permissions, which are intended to capture the CO2 process streams from the BASF plants. According to the corporation, partner Air Liquide will afterwards launch its own application for its facilities on the property.
Dewatering
The application does not cover the infrastructure in the port of Antwerp@C that Basf will connect to in order to transport the captured CO2 to geological storage. Local drainage, however, that must be done, is covered by the application. There is also a groundwater treatment facility available. This work will be completed, according to Basf, in the first half of 2024.
Pipeline
The long-term goal of the Antwerp@C project is to permanently absorb and store CO2 in the port of Antwerp for future usage as a raw material. Working alongside Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Fluxys, and Total Energies is the Antwerp Port Authority. By 2030, the Antwerp@C initiative might cut Antwerp’s CO2 emissions in half. The CO2 will first be transported in liquid form to bare gas fields in the North Sea region. In a subsequent phase, Antwerp@C is also looking at the feasibility of sending CO2 via a pipeline to the Netherlands.
Engineering
The parties began the engineering for the Antwerp@C project a year ago. The creation of a central “backbone” at the port of Antwerp has been elaborated throughout this phase. This follows the Scheldt’s left and right banks’ industrial districts. The engineering also includes a common CO2 liquefaction unit with intermediate storage and maritime loading facilities for cross-border transportation.
