Belgium – Fluxys, ArcelorMittal Belgium, and North Sea Port have started a feasibility study for the Ghent Carbon Hub project, an open-access CO2 storage and liquefaction hub in the North Sea Port.
The feasibility study has begun, and the commissioning date is set for 2027. Ghent Carbon Hub will be able to process 6 million tonnes of CO2 per year (MTPA), which is around 15% of Belgian industrial CO2 emissions.
Ghent Carbon Hub is designed to transport and liquefy CO2 from emitters, offer buffer storage, and load the liquefied CO2 onto ships for long-term storage. The Ghent Carbon Hub connects to Fluxys’ CO2 backbone, allowing CO2 emitters in the North Sea Port region and other industrial clusters to transfer captured CO2 to the hub or reuse destinations.
CCUS to cut CO2 emissions
Aside from using carbon-neutral energy, carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) is required for CO2 intensive companies to reach net zero emissions, particularly in difficult-to-abate sectors with processes that emit CO2. CCUS reduces the carbon intensity of industrial activities and is a vital component in meeting the Paris Agreement’s worldwide net-zero aspirations.
An improved investment environment in Europe has aided in the creation of more CCUS projects, particularly in the form of industrial hubs to mutualize the costs of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.
Daan Schalck, CEO of North Sea Port: “North Sea Port has the ambition to halve CO 2 emissions by 2030 and to be a carbon neutral port by 2050. The total CO 2 emissions in the port amount to 21.5 million tons As a first step, CO 2 capture and storage (CCS) should be increased Technological developments will be the key to CO 2 reuse (CCU – Carbon Capture and Utilization) over time CO 2 capture and storage is a necessary intermediate step for large-scale reuse. That is why North Sea Port is fully committed to promoting and realizing this CO 2 infrastructure project.”
Photo: Fluxys
