Fluxys Belgium and GRTgaz start feasibility study of hydrogen transmission
Belgium-France cross-border hydrogen transmission: successful response to call for interest by GRTgaz and Fluxys.
Fluxys Belgium and GRTgaz have launched a feasibility study for the cross-border hydrogen transmission network from October 2022, aimed at designing the infrastructure and making an initial evaluation of its cost.
The results of the feasibility study will be disclosed in the first quarter of 2023 to customers who have invested in this operation.
In June 2022, French and Belgian energy infrastructure operators GRTgaz and Fluxys Belgium launched a market call for developing the first open-access, cross-border hydrogen transmission network between France and Belgium in the Hainaut region.
This partnership between GRTgaz and Fluxys Belgium builds on the consultations conducted in France and Belgium in 2021-2022 to assess the hydrogen transmission needs of market players (hydrogen consumers and producers). As a result of those consultations, the two operators identified the Valenciennes area in France and the greater Mons area, including La Louvière and Feluy, in Belgium, as a region with considerable potential for hydrogen development.
Following the call for expression of interest organised jointly by GRTgaz and Fluxys Belgium, 17 companies have confirmed needs which strengthen the case for a cross-border pipeline to connect the hydrogen valleys in France and Belgium.
In-depth discussions with the various participants served to qualify and better define the region’s hydrogen ecosystem: it represents a production capacity of between 300 and 600 MW, depending on the development options considered, with an associated hydrogen consumption of between 1.5 and 3 TWh/year.
Pascal De Buck, CEO of Fluxys Belgium, said, “At the same time, the interest shown by industrial players on both sides of the border highlights the efforts they are making to decarbonise their operations in order to meet climate goals and ensure the long-term sustainability of the economy.”
Thierry Trouvé, CEO of GRTgaz, said, “The proposed infrastructure marks the first stage in the development of an integrated European transmission network.”
